WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES … All-In-One Friday, October 9, 2020.pdfWESTERN...

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

AGENDA OCTOBER 9, 2020

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2020 Location: Zoom Meeting Audiocast: https://wp.wwu.edu/live/ Time: 8:00 a.m.

1. CALL TO ORDER

8:00 – 8:01

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 8:01 – 8:05

• Board of Trustees Regular Meeting, August 20, 2020 3. PUBLIC COMMENT

8:05 – 8:10 4. BOARD CHAIR REPORT

8:10 – 8:20 5. UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT REPORT

8:20 – 8:30

6. FACULTY SENATE REPORT 8:30 – 8:40

7. ASSOCIATED STUDENTS REPORT 8:40 – 8:50

• Associated Students Leadership Introductions 8. BOARD FINANCE, AUDIT AND ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT

8:50 – 9:00 Presentation: Trustee Faith Pettis, Committee Chair

9. BOARD STUDENT SUCCESS COMMITTEE REPORT 9:00 – 9:10 Presentation: Trustee Mo West, Committee Chair

DISCUSSION ITEMS 10. REFLECTIONS ON ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT MARKETING, AND FOUNDATION-

BASED STUDENT SUPPORT FOR 2020 – 2021

https://wp.wwu.edu/live/

9:10 – 9:45 Presentation: Shelli Soto, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Donna Gibbs, Vice President for University Relations and Marketing Stephanie Bowers, Vice President for University Advancement

11. WATERFRONT UPDATE 9:45 – 9:55 Presentation: Donna Gibbs, Vice President for University Relations and Marketing Brent Carbajal, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

ACTION ITEMS 12. APPROVAL OF 2020 – 2021 STATE OPERATING BUDGET

9:55 – 10:15 Presentation: Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs Faye Gallant, Executive Director, Budget and Financial Planning

13. APPROVAL OF PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS 10:15 – 10:20 Presentation: Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs

Rick Benner, Senior Director, Capital Planning and Development/ University Architect

• Construction Contract for Bid Package #6 for the Interdisciplinary Science Building (PW733) 14. INFORMATION ITEMS

10:20 – 10:25 a. Enrollment Management Summary b. University Advancement Report c. Capital Program Report d. University Relations and Marketing Report

15. TRUSTEE REMARKS 10:25 – 10:35

16. EXECUTIVE SESSION MAY BE HELD TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL, REAL ESTATE AND LEGAL

ISSUES AS AUTHORIZED IN RCW 42.30.110 10:35 – 11:05

17. DATE FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING: December 10, 11, 2020

18. ADJOURNMENT

1. CALL TO ORDER

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ITEM SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Approval of the Minutes PURPOSE: Action Items Purpose of Submittal: Approval of the Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes. Proposed Motion:

MOVED, that the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University, upon the recommendation of the president, approve the following minutes:

Approval of the Minutes of the Board of Trustees Meeting, August 21, 2020

Supporting Information: Minutes of August 21, 2020

DRAFT Minutes August 21, 2020

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Western Washington University Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

Friday, August 21, 2020 CALL TO ORDER

Board Chair, Trustee John M. Meyer called the regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University to order at 8:03 a.m., via Zoom. A quorum was established by roll call. Board of Trustees Chase Franklin, Vice Chair – via Zoom Earl Overstreet, - via Zoom Karen Lee – via Zoom Faith Pettis – via Zoom Sue Sharpe, Secretary– via Zoom Hunter Stuehm – via Zoom Mo West – via Zoom John M Meyer, Chair – via Zoom Western Washington University Sabah Randhawa, President Brent Carbajal, Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs Stephanie Bowers, Vice President for Advancement Melynda Huskey, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services Donna Gibbs, Vice President for University Relations and Marketing Becca Kenna-Schenk, Executive Director, Government Relations Jeff Young, Faculty Senate President Abdul-Malik Ford, Associated Students President Melissa Nelson, Assistant Attorney General Paul Dunn, Chief of Staff and Secretary to the Board of Trustees Barbara Sandoval, Senior Executive Assistant to the President

Rayne Rambo, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MOTION 08-01-2020 Trustee Pettis moved that the Board of Trustees of Western

Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, approve the following minutes:

• Board of Trustees Regular Meeting June12, 2020 • Board of Trustees Special Meeting, July 17, 2020

The motion was voted on by roll call. Roll Call for the Vote: Trustee Sue Sharpe - Yes Trustee Karen Lee – Yes


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Trustee Faith Pettis – Yes Trustee Mo West – Yes Trustee Hunter Stuehm - Yes Trustee Earl Overstreet– Yes Trustee Chase Franklin – Yes Trustee John Meyer, Chair - Yes The motion passed.

3. PUBLIC COMMENT As per Amended RCW 28B.35.110, the Board of Trustees provided time for public comment. No one signed up for public comment.

4. EXECUTIVE SESSION

At 8:07 am the board went into Executive Session for approximately one hour to discuss a personnel matter as authorized by RCW 42.30.110. No action was taken in executive session. Chair Meyer announced the board would go back into open session at 9:13am.

5. BOARD CHAIR REPORT

Trustee Meyer acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the times and thanked the Western community for their continued swift action and hard work. Trustee Meyer then acknowledged the work and service of Trustee Earl Overstreet whose appointment concludes on September 30, 2020. The trustees noted it was an honor to serve on the board with him and expressed their gratitude for his leadership, thoughtfulness, and commitment to Western. It was agreed that Trustee Overstreet left a strong legacy through his work as the Chair of the Finance, Audit, and Enterprise Risk Management Committee, and as Board Chair. President Randhawa thanked Overstreet on behalf on the entire university community. Randhawa expressed his gratitude for the humanity that Overstreet brought to his role as a trustee and thanked him for supporting his own work as President. He closed by thanking Overstreet for his personal friendship and stated that he will be a lifelong friend of the university. Trustee Overstreet thanked everyone for their kind words and provided the following departing comments: “Two words come to mind as I think about my six years as a Western Trustee. They might surprise you. The first word is ‘More.’ I did my research and thought I knew what to expect, but being a Western Trustee was more challenging, more fun, more educational, more inspiring, and more fulfilling than I could possibly imagine. The second word is Thanks. Thanks to Governor Inslee for this appointment. Thanks to the best board on the planet for your friendship, expertise, generosity, and commitment. Thanks to President Randhawa, first for being Sabah, second, for being at Western, and also for being my friend and


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colleague. Thanks to Paul, Rayne, and Barbara for your steadfast support. Thanks to the students, administration, faculty, staff, Foundation, and other members of the Western community for your dedication and passion for advancing the Western mission to make a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. It has been a privilege and an honor to serve Western as a trustee. I wish you all continued success and I look forward to staying in touch.”

RESOLUTION NO. 2020-03

A RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE OF TRUSTEE

Earl W. Overstreet II

WHEREAS, on October 1, 2014, Governor Jay Inslee appointed EARL OVERSTREET of Greenbank, Washington, to serve a term on the Western Washington University Board of Trustees through September 30, 2020; and WHEREAS, EARL OVERSTREET brought to his appointment over 40 years of experience in the business, information technology and services industries, including as the founding chief executive for General Microsystems Incorporated, and exceptional leadership recognized by the 2006 Distinguished Business Achievement Award from the University of Washington Foster School of Business and the 2008 William D. Bradford Minority Business of the Year Award; and

WHEREAS, EARL OVERSTREET’s appointment has added to an already distinguished record of community service as Chair of the Board of Directors for the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the Central Washington University College of Business Advisory Board, the State of Washington Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprise’s Advisory Committee, and the Bellevue College Presidential Search Advisory Committee; and WHEREAS, EARL OVERSTREET provided outstanding leadership as Chair of the Board of Trustees from June 2018 to June 2020, and as Chair of the Board Finance, Audit, and Enterprise Risk Management Committee from October 2016 to June 2018, challenging and inspiring University leaders to think boldly about the future of Western Washington University and public higher education in general; and WHEREAS, EARL OVERSTREET has contributed his time, energy, and expertise to increasing the stature and aspirations of Western Washington University, including through a presidential transition and a rigorous strategic planning and implementation process; and WHEREAS, EARL OVERSTREET has combined the virtues of steadfast leadership, thoughtful engagement, and generosity in word and action, with a personal commitment to advancing the best interests of each member of the Western community; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University that EARL OVERSTREET is hereby honored for outstanding service and dedication to the University and is extended the gratitude and best wishes of the entire university community.


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PASSED AND APPROVED by the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University at its regular meeting on August 21, 2020.

MOTION 08-01-2020 Trustee West moved that the Board of Trustees approve Resolution 08-01-2020 to recognize the service of Trustee Earl Overstreet.

The motion was voted on by roll call. Roll Call for the Vote: Trustee Sue Sharpe - Yes Trustee Karen Lee – Yes Trustee Faith Pettis – Yes Trustee Hunter Stuehm– Yes Trustee Mo West- Yes Trustee Earl Overstreet – Yes Trustee Chase Franklin – Yes Trustee John Meyer, Chair - Yes The motion passed.

6. UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT’S REPORT

President Randhawa welcomed Abdul-Malik Ford who will be serving as Associated Students (AS) President and Randhawa noted he looks forward to working together. President Randhawa reflected that in the initial response to the national pandemic Western’s goal was to maximize campus and community safety and to continue to provide educational continuity for students. He noted that the Incident Command Structure (ICS) team did a tremendous job in making and executing decisions to achieve the noted objectives. He expressed his thanks to faculty, staff, and students for being supportive and understanding partners throughout the pandemic crisis. President Randhawa acknowledged that on reflection the first phase of the pandemic seemed more manageable than were Western finds itself today. He said initial planning to turn to a remote learning environment would be a short-term replacement for in-person education. He explained that the ultimate decision to continue with remote learning for Fall Quarter was disappointing, but the executive leadership team is dedicated to building resiliency and effectiveness to deliver on Western’s mission, and reframe strategies to advance long term aspirations and goals. President Randhawa enumerated the challenges around communication and providing concrete answers to the campus community. He expressed his thanks to the budget office for their work modeling and assessing various fiscal scenarios, which provide a basis for communicating about planning for a uncertain future. He added that he would be meeting with members of each university division to ensure there is a clear line of communication.


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7. FACULTY SENATE REPORT

Trustee Meyer invited Jeff Young, Faculty Senate President to give his report and expressed his gratitude for Young’s leadership throughout the past year and in the coming year, as Young will be serving as Faculty Senate President for another term. Young thanked Chair Meyer and expressed that he looked forward to serving for another year and continuing to work with the Board of Trustees. Young expressed his gratitude for the magnitude of work that has been put forth by the faculty, administrators, and staff to make the transition to online learning a success at Western. Young noted that during spring quarter, faculty governance focused primarily on response to the COVID-19 crisis. Young reported that most of the work done by faculty over the course of summer quarter was in preparation for remote learning during fall quarter, and that as fall quarter gets underway the Faculty Senate looks forward to facilitating the return of normal committee work and bringing forward important agenda items.

8. ASSOCIATED STUDENTS REPORT Abdul Malik Ford, Associated Students (AS) President thanked everyone for the warm welcome and provided his report. Ford shared that his goals for his term as AS President include supporting the demands of Black Student Organizations submitted to the University administration and the Associated Students in late June. He noted that the AS Executive Board members are also working in support of these demands to dis-mantle anti-Black structures and practices at Western. Ford reported that the AS continues its work to make the elected executive positions more accessible to the student body while working remotely, and to make the AS organization and resources more transparent and accessible in general. He explained the Associated Students is also working toward making the Ethnic Student Center a more inclusive environment for black and indigenous people. Sargun Handa, AS Senate Pro Tempore, provided an update on the work of the Student Senate. She reported that the focus of the work during her term will be to solidify the roles of the Senate and its relationship with the AS Executive Board. 9. FINANCE, AUDIT, AND ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPORT

Trustee Pettis reported that the FARM Committee received an update on the financial status of the institution and the consequences that various mitigation strategies in response to the coronavirus have had on university reserves. She reiterated that the steady work of the budget office allows for strategic financial planning as the impacts of the pandemic become clearer. She reported that the committee reviewed the financial impacts on Western’s auxiliaries, and noted that the full board would be considering action later in the meeting regarding the restructuring of bond debt in University Housing and Dining. Pettis noted that the committee discussed whether to delay preparation of a FY 2021 operating budget or to proceed with major assumptions for a presentation at the October meeting of the Board of Trustees. She noted it was determined to move forward with assumptions with the understanding that it will likely be revisited as information becomes clearer. Pettis noted that the committee also received an update on the status of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise participation as it relates to the ongoing construction of the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building.


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10. STUDENT SUCCESS COMMITTEE REPORT Trustee Mo West reported that the Student Success committee had a robust conversation regarding committee self-evaluation, reflection on the past year’s agenda, and looking ahead to future planning. West reported that committee was provided an update on the ongoing planning for the predominantly remote student experience in the fall, and noted that much of the focus has been on how to generate community and opportunities for students to engage with each other and the institution, especially for first year students. West complimented Western’s faculty who have enrolled in seminars, workshops, and other trainings to enhance student engagement in preparation for continued remote learning in fall quarter. Trustee Stuehm shared his experiences from the student perspective in transitioning to on online learning environment and noted that a large number of students continue to live in proximity to campus in the event that a more hybrid learning format could be adopted later in the academic year. West noted the committee received an update from John Krieg, Director, Office of Institutional Engagement, who shared data from a survey that highlighted students’ preferences and experiences with remote learning during spring quarter. West added that the committee had a lengthy conversation on the University’s sole programmatic decision package, “Advancing Equity and Inclusive Success at Western” which is part of the 2021-2023 Operating Budget that will be presented later in the agenda. 11. FALL PLANNING UPDATE

Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs, Brent Carbajal, Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Melynda Huskey, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services, provided an update on fall quarter planning. Van Den Hul, who serves as Manager of the Incident Command Structure (ICS), updated the board on new campus health and safety protocols that have put into place since the Governor’s Stay Home Stay Safe proclamation in March 2020. He reported that Whatcom County is currently in phase 2 of the Washington State Safe Start plan and that the University has a comprehensive plan to meet and exceed the requirements of the Safe Start program. He added that the remote working directive for employees was extended through the end of Phase 2 and that ergonomic resources are now being made available to employees for their remote work environments. Van Den Hul reported that with the transition to a less intense, but still ongoing phase of the pandemic, Western has shifted from a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ICS structure to a structure that keeps ICS coordination and communications in place to assist decision making at the divisional level. He noted that the safe start plan for fall quarter includes minimal in-person classes on campus, housing no more than 1600 students in University Residences, and protocols for safe instruction for the classes that will take place on campus. Carbajal reported on the impacts of the coronavirus on Western’s faculty and student research projects, which are at the heart of Western’s education principles. He noted that typically summer quarter provides students with opportunities to work with faculty in the field, conducting a variety of research projects all over the world. He noted that due to travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19, research opportunities have been very limited. Carbajal acknowledged the resiliency of research at


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Western and that internal funding for grant-based research has become available again, in a modest and safe way, which allows for more opportunities for Western students. Huskey reported that University Housing and Dining has been very busy preparing for safely housing and feeding students during fall quarter. She added that University Health and Wellness has done outstanding work in adapting its services and public health messaging campaigns on prevention and wellness in support of students, faculty and staff. She added that the Student Health Clinic continues to manage the Respiratory Clinic, Tele-Medicine resources, and the Counseling Center which provides crucial mental health resources to students. Huskey detailed that Western’s Intercollegiate Athletics Programs will not be competing in the fall and practices and other team-related activities have been suspended until October 1, 2020. She noted that evaluation continues on when and how to bring student athletes back to campus safely practice, and that coaches remain closely connected with their teams to sustain the team dynamic. Huskey concluded that all departments within Enrollment and Student Services continue their work to welcome the incoming class for fall quarter 2020 and begin recruitment for fall quarter 2021. She noted the Office of Financial Aid has been extraordinarily busy responding to inquiries on new responsibilities, regulations, and changes in the financial aid landscape to best support Western students. She added that all student services teams are working diligently to ensure that students have a wide variety of support options at the start of fall quarter. Trustee Meyer announced a ten-minute break @ 10:17am. The board reconvened at 10:30am. 12. FINANCE AND BUDGET OUTLOOK UPDATE Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and Faye Gallant, Executive Director, University Budget and Financial Planning, provided an overview of Western’s state-supported and auxiliary budgets. They thanked everyone in the Budget Office and on the broadly representative University budget consultation group whose hard work made it possible to present the financial scenarios in such uncertain times. Gallant reported that work in the Budget Office has been centered around five financial scenarios that will determine the fiscal year 2021 budget. She noted that the possible State budget reduction for Western and other public baccalaureate institutions is being forecast at no more than fifteen percent, though other budget mitigation strategies could be implemented at the state level. Gallant noted that Western’s financial situation will be continually evolving throughout the year and that a clearer picture of the budget, including potential stimulus funding and confirmed enrollment numbers will be available at the Board’s regular meeting in October. Becca Kenna-Schenk, Executive Director, Government Relations concurred that there is much speculation with regards to the state budget, financial stimulus at the Federal level, and whether a special legislative session will be called after the elections in November 2020. She highlighted that Washington state’s latest quarterly financial forecast indicates that revenues are higher than projected.


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13. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION UPDATE AND TIMELINE FOR FALL 2020 Melynda Huskey, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services provided the Board an update on the status of efforts to advance Western’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. She noted that the timeline on the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion website is regularly updated with new information on the work that Western is perusing to align with the DEI goals in the Strategic Plan. Huskey reported that the implementation of the Structural Equity and Bias Response Team (SEBRT) is underway and that their work in fall quarter will be to provide support and educational resources in response to bias incidents, and examine and offer alternatives to conditions at Western that give rise to such incidents. She commended the recommendation from the President’s Council on Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice to create SEBRT and the work of the SEBRT team in this initial phase, especially noting the leadership of L.K. Langley, Director, LGBTQ+ Western, SEBRT Chair. Huskey explained that new mandatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings will be available to new and existing Western employees and for incoming students in fall 2020. She noted that in addition to the mandatory trainings, Western’s senior administrative leadership recently participated in the first of several virtual DEI trainings lead by Dr. Kathy Obear, Co-Founder of the Social Justice Training Institute. Academic Affairs leadership is scheduled for the virtual training in fall 2020. Huskey shared that during summer quarter she became aware of grassroots work across all divisions to bring new awareness, understanding, and commitment to action in promoting the work of equity and inclusion at Western. 14. APPROVAL OF PUBLIC WORKS PROJECTS

Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs provided an overview of the fifth bid package out of six that allows Western to accelerate the construction timeframe on the Interdisciplinary Science Building in order to meet deadlines while maintaining cost certainty through each bid package. The presented bid package will award a construction contract for the Framing/Drywall, Painting, Miscellaneous Specialties and Doors/Frames/Hardware for the Interdisciplinary Science Building project.

MOTION 08-02-2020 Trustee Pettis moved, that the Board of Trustees of Western Washington

University, upon the recommendation of the President, award a contract to BNBuilders Inc., Seattle, WA, in the amount of $6,106,511 (plus associated sales tax, excluding General Conditions) for Bid Package #5 - Framing/Drywall, Painting, Miscellaneous Specialties, and Doors/Frames/Hardware - for the Interdisciplinary Science Building project.

Further moved, that the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, award a contract to Dutton Electric Company, Lynnwood, WA, for the amount of $921,000 (base bid) (plus associated sales tax) for the construction contract to replace the main electrical switchgear at Fairhaven Academic Building (PW735).


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Vote by Roll Call: Trustee Sue Sharpe – Yes Trustee Karen Lee – Yes Trustee Faith Pettis - Yes Trustee Hunter Stuehm – Yes Trustee Mo West - Yes Trustee Earl Overstreet – Yes Trustee Chase Franklin- Yes Trustee John Meyer, Chair – Yes

The motion passed.

15. APPROVAL OF OPERATING BUDGET REQUEST FOR FY2021-23 BIENNIUM

Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and Faye Gallant, Executive Director, Budget and Financial Planning provided an overview of the Operating Budget Request for FY 2021-2023 Biennium for submission to the Governor’s Office of Financial Management. MOTION 08-03-2020 Trustee Sharpe moved, that the Board of Trustees of Western

Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, approve the attached 2021-2023 biennial operating budget request of $165,401,914 in state funds and net tuition revenue, in support of academic, administrative and departmental operations. With concurrence of the Board Chair, the President may make adjustments to the approved budget request in response to subsequent instructions from the Office of Financial Management, to advance consistency among the submissions of Washington’s six public baccalaureate institutions, or other adjustments as appropriate.


The motion passed.


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16. APPROVAL OF FALL QUARTER 2020 MANDATORY FEES Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and Faye Gallant, Executive Director, Budget and Financial Planning present the Board with and overview of the mandatory student fees for Fall Quarter 2020. Van Den Hul explained that some of the services supported by mandatory fees, such as counseling and health and wellness services, and library and cloud-based research resources continue to be offered remotely. He said in other instances, mandatory fee revenue supports truly “mandatory” expenditures for student-endorsed commitments, such as service on the bonds used to construct the Multicultural Center and Wade King Student Recreation Center, both approved by votes of the students. He added with that fee changes are further constrained by a projected drop in student enrollment for Fall Quarter as a result of COVID-19. Gallant noted that despite these commitments, through the use of reserves and other forms of one-time cost-reductions, the mandatory student fee levels can be reduced for Fall Quarter 2020 without compromising the delivery of essential services or defaulting on bond covenants, and provide for student employment supported by these fees to be maintained remotely where possible and as funding allows.

MOTION 08-04-2020 Trustee Stuehm moved, that the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, approve the reduction of Fall Quarter 2020 mandatory student fee levels as proposed in the attached supporting document for the following fees:

• Services & Activities Fee (No decrease) • Student Recreation Fee (Proposed decrease $34.46 for Fall Quarter; 31.5%) • Student Health Services Fee (No decrease) • Student Technology Fee (Proposed decrease $3.75 for Fall Quarter, 10.7%) • Non-Academic Building Fee (No decrease) • Sustainability, Equity, and Justice Fund Fee (Proposed decrease $2.00 for Fall

Quarter; 22.2%) • Student Alternative Transportation Fee (Proposed decrease $28.50 for Fall Quarter;

100%) • Legislative Action Fee (No decrease) • Multicultural Center Services Fee (No decrease


The motion passed.


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17. APPROVAL OF RULE CHANGE IN RESPONSE TO NEW TITLE IX GUIDANCE Melynda Huskey, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services and Interim Executive Director of Western’s Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance presented emergency changes to the Student Conduct Code to bring Western into compliance with the new federal regulations regarding Title IX as issued by the Office of Civil Rights in May 2020. She noted that this emergency rule change will be set to expire in 120 days. She noted that in that time a fuller review of the Student Conduct Code is scheduled to occur in the 2020-2021 academic year. She said the full review will include input and participation from students, staff, and faculty. MOTION 08-05-2020 Trustee Lee moved, that the Board of Trustees of Western

Washington University, upon recommendation of the President, approve the emergency rule change to chapter 516-21 WAC, Student Conduct Code as submitted.


The motion passed. 18. APPROVAL OF FINANCING RESOLUTION FOR HOUSING AND DINING

Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs and Melynda Huskey, Vice President for Enrollment and Student Services presented an overview of the sale of Housing and Dining System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series 2020 to refund and restructure all or a portion of the debt service (principal and interest) that will be due and payable with respect to outstanding housing and Dining Systems Revenue Bonds during the period from October 1, 2020 through and including June 30, 2023. Ven Den Hul noted that due to the novel coronavirus there has been a significant effect on the finances, operations, and economy of the State of Washington and the University, and that the extent of the long-term impact to the University’s state-supported and auxiliary budgets is unknown. Van Den Hul explained that the Housing and Dining System (H&D) is adhering to applicable external guidelines and recommendations with regards to health and safety and will adjust operations throughout the year as needed. Huskey added that the specific occupancy limits of 40% capacity and its health and safety operational plans have been developed in partnership with the University’s Incident Management leadership, resulting in a University-supported approach that provides housing and dining to students who need those services. It was noted that the proposed debt restructuring plan will assist in preserving H&D reserves and thus strategically add flexibility to navigate through these challenging and uncertain times.


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Van Den Hul closed by saying that with the Federal Reserve’s policy of near zero interest rates, and the strong investor demand for municipal debt, Western can expect a favorable, low cost of capital for the transaction. He added that if the System’s operating situation improves sooner, it will be able to build up more reserves and accelerate capital and renovation projects and stay in alignment with the University’s Strategic plan. MOTION 08-06-2020 Trustee Overstreet moved, that the Board of Trustees of

Western Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, adopt Resolution No. 2020-04 (attached) authorizing the issuance of Housing and Dining Revenue Refunding Bonds, which may be issued in one or more series, including delegation of authority as outlined in the Bond Resolution.


The motion passed. 19. APPROVAL OF SUMMER QUARTER DEGREES Board Chair John Meyer introduced the consent item of the Approval of Summer Quarter Degrees. MOTION 08-07-2020 Trustee Stuehm moved, that the Board of Trustees of Western

Washington University, on recommendation of the faculty and subject to the completion of any unmet requirements, approves awarding undergraduate and graduate degrees to the candidates listed in the files of the Registrar and Graduate Dean, for Summer Quarter 2020, effective August 22, 2020.


The motion passed.


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20. INFORMATION ITEMS

a. Academic Reports

Provost Carbajal provided a written report with information about the tenure-track faculty members who were hired last year and will begin teaching during the 2020-21 academic year.

b. Enrollment Management Summary Vice President Huskey provided a written report regarding the University’s general enrollment and admissions.

c. University Advancement Report

Vice President Bowers provided a written report on the University’s Alumni Relations and Western’s Foundation activities.

d. Capital Program Report Vice President Van Den Hul provided a written report on the University’s capital projects.

e. University Relations and Marketing Report

Vice President Gibbs provided a written report documenting recent activities of University Relations and Marketing.

f. Information Technology Report Provost Carbajal provided a report on the Information Security Program and its framework.

21. TRUSTEE REMARKS The trustees thanked everyone in attendance for their participation and the thoroughness of the meeting materials.

22. DATE FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING

October 9, 2020 23. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 12:57 pm.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: Sabah Randhawa, President DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Public Comment Period PURPOSE: Information Item Purpose of Submittal: RCW 28B.35.110 requires that the governing boards of regional universities provide for public comment at meetings and follow procedures for open public meetings in the Open Public Meetings Act. The October meeting of the WWU Board of Trustees will be conducting using the virtual meeting platform, Zoom. Persons wishing to comment during public comment can email Rayne Rambo, Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees to receive a Zoom invitation to the meeting. [email protected] Any member of the public wishing to listen to the meeting can do so via the audiocast as per usual at the link provided on the Board of Trustees web site and here: https://wp.wwu.edu/live/

mailto:[email protected]

https://wp.wwu.edu/live/


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: John M. Meyer, Chair, Board of Trustees DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Board Chair Report PURPOSE: Information Item Purpose of Submittal: Board Chair John M. Meyer will report to members of the Board and President Randhawa and his staff on topics related to the Board of Trustees.

BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS

Office of the Vice President

516 High Street, MS 9044

Bellingham, Washington 98225 360-650-3407 ~ Fax 360-650-3037

MEMORANDUM TO: Board of Trustees FARM Committee FROM: Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President DATE: October 8, 2020 SUBJECT: FARM Committee Meeting Schedule and Review of Calendar This item is a follow-up to the Board of Trustees’ discussion on committees, including when it is

best to have the committee meeting (along with the Board of Trustees meeting or ‘mid-term’), and

the topics to be considered for the next year. See attached FARM calendar.

Attachment C: Sabah Randhawa, President Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President, Business and Financial Affairs

Western Washington University Board of Trustees Finance, Audit and Enterprise Risk Management Committee (FARM)

FY21 Work Plan as of 10/02/2020

Note: This work plan is utilized by the FARM Committee to help ensure that key responsibilities in the FARM Charter are addressed and to plan current and future meeting agendas. Legend _ - yellow highlight indicates item was added or changed during the last FARM Committee meeting C – Item included on present or past FARM Committee meeting agendas X – Item planned to be included on future FARM Committee meeting agendas

FY21 FARM Committee Meeting Date

Topics 08/20/20 10/08/20 12/10/20 02/11/21 04/15/21 06/10/21

I. General Topics

FARM Committee Work Plan Update X

FARM Committee Self-Assessment C X

FARM Committee Charter Review/Update C

Private Session with President C X X X X X

II. Finance Topics

Financial Updates (COVID Budget) X X X X

Capital Plan Update X

Physical Plant Integrity X

MWBE Update C X

III. Compliance/Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Topics

Information Security Update X X

Semi-Annual Compliance Internal Control Reports C X X

Compliance Program Update, including Enterprise Risk Management C X

IV. Office of the Internal Auditor (OIA)

Quarterly Progress Updates C X X X

Audit Plan C X

Annual Report C X

SAAM Chapter 22 Internal Audit Program Certification C X

Audit Charter Discussion and Charter Review C X X

Private Session with Internal Auditor C X X X X X

V. External Auditor

State Auditor Entrance Conference C X

State Auditor Exit Conference X

State Auditor Accountability Conference for FY19-20 X

Financial Statement Audit Services for FY20 C X

Private Session with State Auditor C X


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: Sabah Randhawa, President DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: University President’s Report PURPOSE: Information Item Purpose of Submittal: President Randhawa will present brief reflection on issues of interest to the Board.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa on behalf of the Faculty Senate DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Faculty Senate PURPOSE: Faculty Senate Report Purpose of Submittal: Jeff Young, Faculty Senate President, will brief the Board on recent activities of the Faculty Senate.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa on behalf of the Associated Students DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Associated Students PURPOSE: Associated Students Report Purpose of Submittal: AS President Abdul Malik Ford will brief the Board of Trustees on recent activities of the Associated Students.

Abdul-Malik Ford President [email protected] Year: Senior For the Academic year of 2020-2021 as the AS President, I am essentially Blacking out my agenda in order to prioritize Black students who are traditionally disregarded, disrespected, and placed at a disadvantage at this institution and in this country. My agenda items are in line with what the BSO demands are highlighting. I plan to find more organizational support for ex-panding assistance programs for students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, address ambiguity within the AS elections process, and advocate for campus-wide messaging for incidents of racist violence directed at campus community members, support mandatory training for campus community members related to bias or discrimination, and organize a forum that focus-es on accountability for each ASWWU office and position.

Sargun Handa, Senate Pro-Tempore [email protected] Year: Sophomore

This year, I volunteered with my peers to travel to Olympia twice, lobbying to legislators for increased mental health resources, support for sexual assault survivors, and funding for ethnic studies at WWU. As Vice Chair, I was working on suicide prevention, sexual assault prevention, and mandatory reporter training for the Student Senate before the Coronavirus pandemic. However, my service in the Student Senate is not over; I continue to work on implementing training remotely and advocating for student needs during these times.

Keenan Kaemingk, VP Activities [email protected] Year: Senior I believe it is very important to have a vibrant and energetic campus community. I am a member of the AS Finance Council and AS Leadership Council as well. Last year I also worked as a Student Director for Health and Wellness at WCC. I work hard to help put on new and fun events that every-one can access and enjoy. I think student clubs are extremely important to the campus community, and I will work to help all clubs and AS organizations feel supported. AS your VP for activities I will work to make all students feel connected and part of a community.

Carson Brock, VP Student Services [email protected] Year: Senior One of my many goals for this position is to encourage all students to be involved in what is happen-ing within their campus community, and where their money is going. If we work together, our ideas will enact change. In this role, I will take what students need and make the administration listen and act on all student concerns. Concerns such as: Campus Safety, Accessibility, Food insecurity, Ara-mark, and many other extremely important issues.

Ranulfo Molina, VP Diversity [email protected] Year: Senior I believe in accessibility, sustainability, and transformative change. As a first-generation Latinx queer scholar, I hope to bring positive change through my identity and experience of navigating through a system that has not been designed to work for marginalized communities. By combining my passion for social justice and progressive change, I am ready to continue the transformative work of previous leaders and to lead the way for radical opportunities. To ensure student success, I plan to use collab-orative methods of leadership to achieve milestones and to reaffirm diversity, equity, and inclusion on our campus.

Nicole Ballard, VP Gov’t Affairs [email protected] Year: Senior With this legislative session being a budget year, it is the perfect time to advocate for more mental health services, more resources for marginalized students, and to continue the push to create an Ethnic Studies curriculum at WWU, along with other issues that students want to advocate for. I am excited to serve the students of WWU, creating long-lasting change on campus and in the various levels of government.

Nora Harren, VP Sustainability [email protected] Year: Senior I am confident that I can effect impactful change on Western’s campus through collaborative efforts with the student body and Western’s administration. There is an absolute need on a micro and mac-ro level to address environmental issues such as climate change, environmental racism, food insecu-rity, waste disposal, and transportation, among others. I plan to work on these issues with urgency and care while serving as a resource for the students at Western already engaging in this important work.

Abdul Malik Ford, President of ASWWU

To all whom this concerns, I hope that this letter finds you well and that you will strongly consider the contents herein. View this not as a source of feedback, but as a firm declaration of value and faith in our community. I would like to start by saying that I give my gratitude and thanks for each and every person who poured countless hours into developing and planning our FY21 budget. Having been to a handful of budget consultation group meetings, I can see the crunches that we're in, and the resilience that it will take to overcome this crisis. With equity in mind, I would like to turn the attention to our students. Specifically to our Black Students, and the students who are struggling with food and housing insecurity, and overall, our most underrepresented groups on campus. What I see allocated in the operating budget pertaining to the support of these students is unsatisfactory. I do not believe that the financial commitments match the energy, essence nor heart of our institutional mission statements that are proudly displayed across the many web pages that we see on a daily basis. We are finding ourselves in such a fragile state of social affairs, and we are disillusioned by a dreamlike orientation towards diversity, equity and inclusion. What university leaders need to do, is truly commit to supporting students. This goes to say that as a university, this is unacceptable. The students on campus deserve better. They deserve more support, and as you know, we are the universities most valuable asset. We feed an extraordinary portion of our operating budget of $190.000,000 (FY20). We water the seeds of this institution and maintain its growth yet we are not receiving that same investment. As a student who's been here going on five years, I have seen enough. I have seen enough poster commitments of DEI initiatives and efforts, I have seen enough slogans and campaigns to affirm that us students are “cared about and valued.” What I have not seen enough of is financial commitments to go alongside those same slogans, invatives, and efforts. Investing $225,000 into diversity equity and inclusion initiatives in a budget consisting of $190,000,000 (FY20) feels like a slap in the face. Especially considering that is a mere ~13,07% of the GEER funding allocation that states “Emergency Support Funds – $1,721,590 (General Fund-Federal). The purpose of this allocation is to provide emergency support funding in anticipation of continued financial losses and disruption to university operations and student services due to COVID-19. A portion of these funds should be used to maintain student support services for students of color.” In the grand scheme of the $5,456,837 in GEER funding alone, that is a ~4.123% commitment to the students who inarguably need support the most. Upon my inquiry in late August into the Budget Consultation Group discussion surrounding utilizing GEER funds to support Black students, I was informed that that conversation had not yet taken place. Though it eventually happened, that was a frightening realization that conversations surrounding Black students are not integrated into important conversations we are having as a university.

https://www.ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/legacy/agencycommunications/FY2021/Allocation%20of%20Federal%20GEER%20Funding%20for%20WWU.pdf

https://www.ofm.wa.gov/sites/default/files/public/legacy/agencycommunications/FY2021/Allocation%20of%20Federal%20GEER%20Funding%20for%20WWU.pdf

Abdul Malik Ford, President of ASWWU

Quickly committing to a retention counselor for Black students instead of the Black mental health counselors we demanded as Black students feels as if our minds are not valued, instead, only the dollars that we contribute to this institution are. To retain is to protect an asset, not to heal the pain, truma, and hurt that we face on a daily basis. Our souls are tired and hearts heavy, when will the day come when commitments are honored? We’ve done our part in joining task forces, committees, listening sessions, working groups and meetings. The same sentiments have been echoed down the institutional void that we find ourselves trapped in. It’s time to wake up. There is no justification for performative statements, actions, and commitments similar to how there’s no moral justification to passing a tuition increase in the midst of a pandemic. Students are not the cash cows that institutions of higher education mark us out to be, we are the living, breathing future and we should be invested into as if that’s the case, the future of this university depends on us. This is to say that our operating budget is incomplete, and it will always be incomplete until our Black students, and other severely underrepresented students are championed for and whose proclaimed support is represented in our budget. I, Abdul Malik Ford, President of the Associated Students of Western Washington University, strongly oppose presenting this budget to our board of trustees for approval until true commitments are placed forth and financially honored. In the name of Diversity Equity, and Inclusion, We can do better.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: Faith Pettis, Chair, Board Finance, Audit, and Enterprise Risk Management

Committee DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Board FARM Committee Report PURPOSE: Information Item Purpose of Submittal: Chair Pettis will report to members of the Board of Trustees and the university president and his staff topics related to the Board FARM Committee.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: Mo West, Chair, Board Student Success Committee DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Board Student Success Committee Report PURPOSE: Information Item Purpose of Submittal: Chair West will report to members of the Board of Trustees and the university president and his staff topics related to the Student Success Committee.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa on behalf of Donna Gibbs, VP for University

Relations and Marketing DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Reflections on Enrollment Management, Recruitment Marketing, and

Foundation-Based Student Support for 2020-2021 PURPOSE: Discussion Item

Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Shelli Soto; Vice President for University Relations & Marketing Donna Gibbs; and Stephanie Bowers, Vice President for University Advancement, will provide an update on fall 2020 student enrollment, recruitment marketing and private support, and plans for fall 2021.

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT, RECRUITMENT MARKETING &

FOUNDATION-BASED STUDENT SUPPORT FOR

2020-21

Board of TrusteesOctober 9, 2020

Enrollment Management

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY | MAKE WAVES.


FALL ENROLLMENT - ALL STUDENTS

Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity - Percent DistributionAll Students All Students

Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020 Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity 1,183 1,298 1,398 1,495 1,617 1,575 (42) -2.6% Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity 7.7% 8.3% 8.8% 9.3% 10.0% 10.4%American Indian or Alaska Native 367 346 325 317 311 288 (23) -7.4% American Indian or Alaska Native 2.4% 2.2% 2.0% 2.0% 1.9% 1.9%Asian 1,622 1,648 1,679 1,697 1,721 1,711 (10) -0.6% Asian 10.6% 10.6% 10.5% 10.5% 10.7% 11.3%Black or African American 408 396 421 418 433 432 (1) -0.2% Black or African American 2.7% 2.5% 2.6% 2.6% 2.7% 2.8%Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Is 75 73 72 70 64 66 2 3.1% Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Is 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4%White 11,217 11,275 11,416 11,429 11,249 10,463 (786) -7.0% White 73.2% 72.4% 71.7% 70.9% 69.7% 68.9%Two or more races: Other 160 172 183 198 197 191 (6) -3.0% Two or more races: Other 1.0% 1.1% 1.1% 1.2% 1.2% 1.3%International 156 181 188 183 198 128 (70) -35.4% International 1.0% 1.2% 1.2% 1.1% 1.2% 0.8%Race and ethnicity unknown 144 185 233 314 352 340 (12) -3.4% Race and ethnicity unknown 0.9% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9% 2.2% 2.2%Total 15,332 15,574 15,915 16,121 16,142 15,194 (948) -5.9% Total 15,332 15,574 15,915 16,121 16,142 15,194 Students of Color 3,815 3,933 4,078 4,195 4,343 4,263 (80) -1.8% Percent Student of Color 24.9% 25.3% 25.6% 26.0% 26.9% 28.1%Percent Student of Color 24.9% 25.3% 25.6% 26.0% 26.9% 28.1%

Enrollment by ResidencyAll Students

Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020Non-Resident 1,639 1,827 1,929 2,035 1,993 1,742 (251) -12.6%Resident 13,693 13,747 13,986 14,086 14,149 13,452 (697) -4.9%Total 15,332 15,574 15,915 16,121 16,142 15,194 (948) -5.9%Percent Non-Resident 10.7% 11.7% 12.1% 12.6% 12.3% 11.5%

Enrollment by First GenerationAll Students

Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020First Generation 5,028 5,092 5,166 5,114 4,977 4,578 (399) -7.8%not First Generation 10,304 10,482 10,749 11,007 11,165 10,616 (549) -5.0%Total 15,332 15,574 15,915 16,121 16,142 15,194 (948) -5.9%Percent First Generation 32.8% 32.7% 32.5% 31.7% 30.8% 30.1%

Enrollment by PELL-EligibilityAll Students

Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020PELL-Eligible 3,896 3,789 4,026 3,956 3,717 3,370 (347) -9.3%not PELL-Eligible 11,436 11,785 11,889 12,165 12,425 11,824 (601) -4.8%Total 15,332 15,574 15,915 16,121 16,142 15,194 (948) -5.9%Percent PELL-Eligible 25.4% 24.3% 25.3% 24.5% 23.0% 22.2%

1-Year % Change

1-Year Change

1-Year Change

1-Year % Change

1-Year Change

1-Year % Change

1-Year Change

1-Year % Change

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020

Total Enrolled

Percent Student of Color Percent Non-Resident

Percent First Generation Percent PELL-Eligible

Fall Enrollment – All StudentsEnrollment by Race/Ethnicity - Percent DistributionAll Students

Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity 7.7% 8.3% 8.8% 9.3% 10.0% 10.4%American Indian or Alaska Native 2.4% 2.2% 2.0% 2.0% 1.9% 1.9%Asian 10.6% 10.6% 10.5% 10.5% 10.7% 11.3%Black or African American 2.7% 2.5% 2.6% 2.6% 2.7% 2.8%Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Isl 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4%White 73.2% 72.4% 71.7% 70.9% 69.7% 68.9%Two or more races: Other 1.0% 1.1% 1.1% 1.2% 1.2% 1.3%International 1.0% 1.2% 1.2% 1.1% 1.2% 0.8%Race and ethnicity unknown 0.9% 1.2% 1.5% 1.9% 2.2% 2.2%Total 15,332 15,574 15,915 16,121 16,142 15,194 Percent Student of Color 24.9% 25.3% 25.6% 26.0% 26.9% 28.1%

Percent Non-Resident 10.7% 11.7% 12.1% 12.6% 12.3% 11.5%Percent First Generation 32.8% 32.7% 32.5% 31.7% 30.8% 30.1%Percent PELL-Eligible 25.4% 24.3% 25.3% 24.5% 23.0% 22.2%


Fall Enrollment – New First-Year StudentsEnrollment by Race/Ethnicity - Percent DistributionNew First-Year




Fall Enrollment – All Graduate StudentsEnrollment by Race/Ethnicity - Percent DistributionGraduate Students

Fall 2015 Fall 2016 Fall 2017 Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity 5.1% 5.8% 6.1% 6.5% 6.9% 7.5%American Indian or Alaska Native 2.1% 2.1% 2.8% 2.4% 2.1% 1.8%Asian 5.8% 6.3% 6.6% 4.0% 6.2% 9.1%Black or African American 1.8% 1.5% 2.1% 2.0% 2.7% 2.4%Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Isl 0.0% 0.0% 0.3% 0.4% 0.3% 0.4%White 77.9% 79.9% 78.7% 79.4% 74.8% 71.7%Two or more races: Other 0.6% 0.7% 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 0.5%International 2.1% 1.8% 1.5% 1.9% 2.0% 1.4%Race and ethnicity unknown 4.5% 1.9% 1.4% 2.9% 4.6% 5.2%Total 707 728 722 754 714 787 Percent Student of Color 15.4% 16.3% 18.4% 15.8% 18.6% 21.7%

Percent Non-Resident 21.1% 19.1% 18.1% 21.5% 20.9% 21.0%Percent First Generation 15.6% 18.5% 18.3% 17.0% 18.1% 18.4%


Fall Enrollment – All Undergraduate Students


Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity - Percent DistributionUndergraduate Students



Federal Grants $4,347,288

State Grants $6,294,964

Institutional Need-Based Grants $1,106,416

State Scholarships $474,092

Institutional Scholarships Funded by Tuition Waivers $4,709,356

Tuition Waivers Based on Financial Need $883,871

Western Foundation Scholarships $890,188

Private Donor Scholarships $863,651

Federal Educational Loans $10,059,888

Private Educational Loans $1,186,969

Work Study Earnings $136,666

TOTAL $30,953,349


Fall 2020 Aid Disbursements**As of 10/7/20; we are continuing to authorize disbursements so the actual amount of aid disbursed for Fall 2020 will be significantly higher


Fall 2020 Aid Disbursements**As of 10/7/20; we are continuing to authorize disbursements so the actual amount of aid disbursed for Fall 2020 will be significantly higher

Federal Grants, $4,347,288

State Grants, $6,294,964

Institutional Need-Based Grants, $1,106,416

State Scholarships, $474,092

Institutional Scholarships Funded by Tuition Waivers,

$4,709,356

Tuition Waivers Based on Financial Need, $883,871

Western Foundation Scholarships, $890,188

Private Donor Scholarships, $863,651

Federal Educational Loans, $10,059,888

Private Educational Loans, $1,186,969

Work Study Earnings, $136,666

Enrollment Funnel


Admissions Data


First-Year StudentsF2020 F2019 Chg(n) Chg(%) F2020 F2019 Chg(n) Chg(%) F2020 F2019 Chg(n) Chg(%)

All 10,206 10,503 (297) -2.8% 9,545 9,495 50 0.5% 2,629 3,213 (584) -18.2%Students of Color 3,917 3,918 (1) 0.0% 3,538 3,360 178 5.3% 850 998 (148) -14.8%WA Residents 7,521 7,868 (347) -4.4% 7,035 7,149 (114) -1.6% 2,244 2,769 (525) -19.0%Non-Residents 2,550 2,462 88 3.6% 2,428 2,277 151 6.6% 381 444 (63) -14.2%First Generation 3,033 3,202 (169) -5.3% 2,656 2,649 7 0.3% 766 949 (183) -19.3%

Applicants Admits Confirmed not Withdrawn

Honors ProgramFall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020

Applied 743 767 849

Admitted 461 559 707

Admit Rate 62.0% 72.9% 83.3%

Confirmed 191 220 289

Yield Rate 41.4% 39.4% 40.9%

Enrolled 178 206 223

Capture Rate 93.2% 93.6% 77.2%


Deferrals

Fall 2018 Fall 2019 Fall 2020

First-year Students 75 103 278New Transfer Students 44 32 75

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Pandemic Challenges

• Test-optional admissions• High school and college campus closures• Economic impacts on family budgets • Digital divide for some families • “Zoom fatigue” limits opportunities to connect with staff,

experiences, and campus resources


Non-Resident Marketing Works!• Non-resident applications increased by 3.6%

• Compared to overall 2.8% decline• 25% of applicants were nonresidents (2019: 23.4%)

• Admits increased by 6.6% • Compared to overall 0.5% increase• 25.4% of admits were nonresidents (2019: 24%)

• 14.5% of first-year confirmations were nonresidents (2019: 13.8%)

• 14.0% of enrolled first-year students are non-residents (2019: 14.0%)


Recruitment Marketing


Non-Resident Extension Campaign


• Lead generation and brand awareness• Increase applications• Prospective undergrad students

• Washington• California (expansion to key So Cal zip codes)• Texas• Colorado

Channels• Display advertising and customized retargeting • IP targeting that matches our mailing list of search names and

prospects to their home IP addresses to deliver specific ads to anyone in that residence

• Paid Social Media campaigns on Facebook, Instagram including photo, video and carousel ads

• Snapchat 10-second full-screen ads• Pay-per-click (PPC) paid keyword search campaign on Google• Streaming video on YouTube


Western on the Peninsulas Tuition Reduction


• Lead generation and brand awareness• Increase applications• Prospective undergrad students

• Age 21-50+• A.A. or some credit toward B.A.• Mobile targeting around feeder

community colleges • Focus on surrounding counties: Kitsap,

Thurston, Mason, Jefferson, Clallam

Undergrad and Grad Campaigns for Everett


• Lead generation and brand awareness• Increase applications• Undergrads in surrounding community colleges• Prospective graduate students

• 25+ working professionals• Feeder companies like Boeing, PACCAR, etc.• Focus on surrounding counties: Skagit,

Snohomish, King• IP targeting to alumni lists

On the Horizon• Digital marketing campaign to support grad program growth • Planning underway now with the Graduate School and colleges

including target market and competitive analysis, tuition waiver strategy, website optimization and landing page builds

• Particular focus on new Applied Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.)• Slated to begin in Fall 2021


Advancement Support


Private Resources• Underlying Financial Support

• Three-year commitment for out-of-state recruitment marketing

• Program Support• Viking Launch• Western Success Scholars• Black Student Retention Counselor

• Alumni Legacy Program


• Student Scholarships• Presidential Scholarships• Expanded Admissions Scholarships• Student Emergency Funds

• Recent realized bequests

• Refreshed Student Success Campaign• Retention strategies


Private Resources


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa on behalf of Donna Gibbs, VP for University

Relations and Marketing DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Waterfront Update PURPOSE: Discussion Item

Vice President for University Relations & Marketing Donna Gibbs and Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Brent Carbajal will provide an update on the status of the Western Crossing project in the Bellingham Waterfront district.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa by:

Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President, Business and Financial Affairs Faye Gallant, Executive Director, Budget and Financial Planning

DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Approval of 2020-2021 Annual State Operating Budget PURPOSE: Action Item Purpose of Submittal: Per its rules of operation, the Board retains responsibility for approving the annual operating budget. The Board approved a preliminary fiscal year 2021 operating budget at the June Board meeting based on the fiscal year 2020 operating budget, with the addition of negotiated and legislatively approved compensation increases and tuition reduction funding for Western on the Peninsulas, to allow for the continuation of operations. The University has continued to use our budget process to finalize recommendations for the FY2020-2021 budget for approval at the October Board meeting. Proposed Motion:

MOVED, that the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, approve a recommended operating budget of $193,173,936 for FY2020-2021, including the following one-time adjustments:

-COVID-19 response activities: $3,000,000 -Academic Affairs bridge funding: $2,000,000 -Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: $225,000 -Divisional Budget Reductions of 3 percent: ($5,341,144)

Supporting Information: Attachment A: Memo of Supporting Information on the Fiscal 2020-2021 Annual Operating Budget

Attachment A

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

SUPPORTING INFORMATION SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES


Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President, Business and Financial Affairs Faye Gallant, Executive Director, Budget and Financial Planning

DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Supporting Information for Board Approval of the

2020-2021 Annual State Operating Budget Introduction In order to fund the basic instructional and academic support missions of the institution, we are proposing, for Board approval, a 2020-2021 budget for state funded operations which reflects revenue and expenditure estimates available for university operations from state appropriations, net tuition operating fees, the administrative services assessment and one-time funds. Western’s Budget Process Our understanding of the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 has evolved quickly; we know, for instance, that enrollments and auxiliaries have been impacted and that the State of Washington is facing a potential $4 billion revenue loss. We know that adapting our operations for fall will come with new costs. We realized in June that the FY21 budget plan would need to respond to new information, and that new information will come throughout the year. The urgency and severity of these conditions required us to adapt our budget planning processes for FY21. President Randhawa outlined this approach in a May 19 communication to the WWU community. The first step in adjusting our FY21 budget to meet these challenges was to put a preliminary, or continuation budget in place so that operations could continue in parallel with planning. The Board of Trustees approved the FY21 continuation budget at their June 12, 2020 meeting. The recommendation that follows is for the full FY21 operating budget, with recognition that should circumstances change substantially during the fiscal year, additional changes may be necessary - either softening or hardening the hiring, purchasing, and travel freezes used to meet divisional reduction targets should revenues increase or decrease substantially from the current projections. Throughout the summer, Western engaged in an extensive FY21 budget planning effort. This work included preparing a process, principles, communications and consultation. Recognizing that much of the initial work needed to happen during the summer, a consultation group comprised of faculty, staff, and student leadership engaged in two-way communications on the budget environment, guiding principles, engagement plans, and other related topics, and a working group of budget officers coordinated across divisions. Review and comment on the budget itself remains with the UPRC and the Budget Forum.

https://president.wwu.edu/fy-21-budget-planning

https://bfp.wwu.edu/wwu-budget

https://bfp.wwu.edu/files/FY21%20Budget%20Planning%20Principles%20June%203.pdf

https://bfp.wwu.edu/files/FY21%20Budget%20Planning%20Consultation%20Group%20Roster%20-%20Updated%208-12-20.pdf

https://bfp.wwu.edu/files/FY21%20Budget%20Working%20Group.pdf

Board of Trustees October 9, 2020 Page 2 Scenarios and Recommendation Details Our presentation of recommendations is designed to reflect the remaining uncertainty on revenues for FY21, while providing a path forward for expenditure plans. That uncertainty is primarily absorbed through the use of reserves, as shown in the second line from the bottom in the table below. Because our approach to FY21 is primarily to use one-time and bridging strategies, the final line of the table illustrates the structural deficit that will remain in future years without an increase in revenues and/or more permanent reductions. The structural deficit will be addressed in the FY21-23 budget process. The scenarios table reflects variable factors in Western’s FY21 budget, new investment recommendations, and mitigation strategies to bridge the FY21 gap. A summary of state- and contract-driven budget changes follows the scenarios discussion.

Attachment A

FY21 Budget Scenarios Comparison Scenario #1 - Best Scenario #2 - Better Scenario #3 - Mid Scenario #4 - Bad Scenario #5 - Worst

Variable Assumptions NRUG Enrollment Decline (from increase of 50) 15.0% ($4,066,517) 16.0% ($4,337,618) 17.0% ($4,608,719) 18.0% ($4,879,820) 19.0% ($5,150,922) RUG Enrollment Decline (from 2% decrease) 5.0% ($3,331,153) 6.0% ($3,997,384) 7.0% ($4,663,615) 8.0% ($5,329,845) 9.0% ($5,996,076)

State Budget Reduction 0.0% $0 5.0% ($4,654,150) 5.0% ($4,654,150) 5.0% ($4,654,150) 7.5% ($6,981,225)

Lower NRUG Tuition Rates 2.5% ($617,775) 2.5% ($617,775) 2.5% ($617,775) 2.5% ($617,775) 2.5% ($617,775)

Lower ASA Revenue 45.0% ($2,152,737) 45.0% ($2,152,737) 45.0% ($2,152,737) 45.0% ($2,152,737) 50.0% ($2,391,931)

Increased COVID-19 Costs $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,500,000 $2,500,000 $3,000,000 $3,000,000 $3,500,000 $3,500,000 $4,000,000 $4,000,000

New Investments

Academic Affairs Perm Funding $285,000 285,000 285,000 $285,000 $285,000

Academic Affairs Bridge Funding $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000 $2,000,000

IT Operating Funding $500,000 $500,000 $500,000 $500,000 $500,000

Other New Items $325,000 $325,000 $325,000 $325,000 $325,000 Deficit Before Mitigation Strategies ($12,804,187) ($18,895,669) ($20,333,001) ($21,770,333) ($25,773,933) Response/Mitigation Strategies

Reduce Tuition Buffer 0.0% $0 50.0% $700,530 50.0% $700,530 50.0% $700,530 75.0% $1,050,794

Reduce Contingency Funds 0.0% $0 50.0% $634,338 50.0% $634,338 50.0% $634,338 75.0% $951,506

Federal CARES Funding 100.0% $3,700,000 100.0% $3,700,000 100.0% $3,700,000 100.0% $3,700,000 100.0% $3,700,000 Federal GEER Funding 50.0% $2,725,000 50.0% $2,725,000 50.0% $2,725,000 50.0% $2,725,000 50.0% $2,725,000

Other Federal Funding 50.0% $2,900,000 50.0% $2,900,000 25.0% $1,450,000 0.0% $0 0.0% $0

Reduce Inst. Funded Capital Projects 0.0% $0 50.0% $480,000 50.0% $480,000 50.0% $480,000 100.0% $960,000

Additional RUG Tuition Rate Increase 0.0% $0 0.0% $0 0.0% $0 0.0% $0 0.0% $0

Budget Reductions 1.5% $2,670,572 3.0% $5,341,144 3.0% $5,341,144 3.0% $5,341,144 3.5% $6,231,334

Ending Year (Deficit Funded with Institutional Reserves) ($808,616) ($2,414,658) ($5,301,990) ($8,189,322) ($10,155,298)

Structural Deficit ($6,651,450) ($12,242,932) ($13,180,264) ($14,117,595) ($17,382,002)

Attachment A

Variable Assumptions Tuition Revenues Tuition revenues are a result of the tuition rate and of enrollment. For fall quarter, current projections include a drop in tuition revenue due to COVID-19 of between 7 and 10 percent overall compared to 2019-2020, with more significant impacts to non-resident enrollments. The scenarios table compares enrollments to our original FY21 budget plan, which had included increases in non-resident students. Final enrollment figures for fall quarter will be available October 5. However, enrollment changes may also occur in the winter and spring quarters which will also impact tuition revenue for the fiscal year. State Funding Earlier this year, state agencies were directed to plan for a 15 percent budget reduction for FY21, based on a revenue projection for the state showing a $9 billion decrease over the next biennium. That revenue projection has been updated to a more positive outlook, but a deficit remains through FY23. The legislature is currently expected to take action on budget reductions in January 2021, after addressing revenue generation. As of September 2020, there is a possible best case scenario of no state budget reduction, and our worst case has been updated to a 7.5 percent reduction to Western’s state appropriation in FY21. Due to the financial impacts of COVID-19, the state cancelled planned compensation increases for agencies under the Governor’s authority for agency directors, Exempt Management Service and Washington Management Service employees, and all other exempt employees who earn more than $53,000 annually, and implemented furloughs. Those agencies were directed to return the state appropriations associated with the increase. Institutions of Higher Education have been encouraged, though not required, to do the same. While Western does not plan to reduce our state allocation at this time, it is possible this funding may be pulled back later in the year. Administrative Services Assessment (ASA) Auxiliaries are the various components of the University’s operation that run as business units that must generate revenue to cover their costs. Examples include Outreach and Continuing Education, the Housing and Dining System, the Bookstore, and the Wade King Student Recreation Center. These entities are charged a fee to cover the cost of central services utilized as part of their operations. With current operational plans including substantially reduced revenues in Housing and Dining, the largest contributor of ASA, we are projecting a 45 percent decrease. COVID-19 Response Activities The FY21 budget recommendation includes a placeholder amount for COVID-19 response activities, based on tracking and projections through Western’s Incident Command. Actual expenses will vary depending on operational models, state and federal guidance, and continued evolution of the response based on new information. Examples of these activities include increased cleaning, adjustments to classroom spaces, investments in technology to support remote instruction and learning, and preventative testing. New Investments- WWU Policy Decisions Academic Affairs Bridge Funding ($2,000,000) Our FY21 budget planning originally included using $2 million of institutional funding to bridge the preexisting deficit in Academic Affairs as a non-recurring investment, providing more time to gradually bring the budget and operational expenses into alignment. This recommendation preserves that funding for FY21.

Board of Trustees October 9, 2020 Page 5 Academic Affairs Permanent Funding ($285,000) The FY21 operating budget recommendation includes $285,000 in recurring funding for Academic Affairs as part of the strategy to address the structural budget gap in that division. This is in addition to the $215,000 put into the FY20 budget, bringing the total to $500,000 in new permanent funding over the FY19-21 Biennium. IT Operating Gap Funding ($500,000) The University has recognized for several years the need to address IT operating needs. This funding adds $500,000 in recurring funding to address the needs of the University as part of a multiyear commitment, following a full review of the budget to ensure a sustainable approach. TA Stipends Funding ($100,000) The University recognizes the need to increase stipend rates for graduate student Teaching Assistants to reduce structural barriers to accessing graduate education. This $100,000 increase in recurring funding is part of a multi-year incremental approach to bringing the stipend rate in strategic alignment with our peers. Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ($225,000)

• African-American Student Retention Counselor: In partnership with the Foundation, this funding is for a new position within Enrollment and Student Services focused on academic and co-curricular retention initiatives for Black and African-American students. The FY21 operating budget includes 50 percent of the salary and benefits for this position as a recurring commitment, with Foundation funding providing the remainder for the first two years. Western will use this period to establish a fully recurring source of funding for this permanent position.

• Anti-Racism and Anti-Black Racism Training for Faculty and Staff, and Support and Wellness for BIPOC employees: The FY21 operating budget recommendation includes non-recurring funding to expand anti-racism training and anti-Black racism training for Western faculty and staff in combination with support and wellness initiatives for BIPOC employees.

• Support for Curriculum Development and Delivery in Ethnic Studies: Advancing the Ethnic Studies curriculum at Western is an institutional priority, and a core component of our FY21-23 biennial operating request to the state. While we pursue state funding for new tenure-track faculty lines in Ethnic Studies, this budget recommendation includes in funding to support curriculum development and delivery.

Mitigation Strategies Western will use institutional reserves as a bridging strategy to mitigate reductions and absorb uncertainty in FY21, while maintaining levels adequate to support the university through the next biennium. The most likely projection as of this publication is approximately $5.3 million of reserves applied to FY21. Other mitigation strategies include reducing the tuition buffer and contingency funding, and reducing institutional funding for capital projects. This recommendation includes applying the majority of the federal stimulus funding ($7.9 million), while using some to buffer impacts in the self-sustaining and auxiliary areas in keeping with the FY21 budget planning principles. Divisional Budget Reductions To balance the need for flexibility given the potential for further revenue reductions in FY21 and the next biennium with the need to advance our strategic plan and the moral imperative of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at Western, the FY21 operating budget

Board of Trustees October 9, 2020 Page 6 recommendation includes a 3 percent reduction to divisional and presidential budgets on a one-time, non-recurring basis. This reduction is to be met through continuing the freeze on hiring, purchasing, and travel, with an exception process for those positions and purchases that are critical to operations and to advancing the strategic plan. In applying the reduction, divisions will continue following the FY21 budget planning principles. Involuntary furloughs and layoffs will not be used to meet this reduction. The flexibility created now by continuing the freeze increases Western’s ability to continue delivering on our commitments through the coming biennium. State and Contractually Determined Items The below items are not reflected in the scenarios above as they are determined through legislative and collective bargaining processes, but are included in the final FY21 operating budget. Supplemental Retirement Western’s supplemental retirement liability is set to increase by $144,000 for FY21. Collectively Bargained and Legislatively Approved Compensation Increases WWU’s collective bargaining agreement with classified staff includes a three percent increase for fiscal year 2021, as approved by the legislature. That increase equates to $1,190,808. Final FY21 determinations on faculty and pro-staff increases will follow the reopening of the faculty contract in late October and the pro-staff guidelines. Funding was provided in the state appropriation to fund the collective bargained agreements between the University and the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) and the Public School Employees (PSE). Additionally, Western's state appropriation included partial funding which was planned to allow for general wage increases for faculty and professional staff (PSO) equal to a 3 percent increase on July 1, 2020. In all cases, the increased funding was provided on the portion of salaries and benefits paid on state appropriations (50 percent), not the portion paid from tuition revenue (50 percent). Addressing Sexual Misconduct at Postsecondary Institutions The FY20 Supplemental Session added $87,000 in recurring funding for addressing sexual misconduct at postsecondary institutions. This funding is one of the few items not vetoed as a result of COVID-19. Western on the Peninsulas Tuition Reduction The 2020 supplemental budget operating bill passed by the legislature this spring and signed into law by Governor Inslee included $886,000 per year in new funding for the reduction of tuition rates for four-year degree programs offered at WWU on the Peninsulas, which was among the few additions not vetoed as a means to achieve savings for the state’s COVID-19 response. These funds were included in the continuation budget and in this FY21 operating budget recommendation. Opioid Overdose Medication Funding The state provided $20,000 in one-time funding for FY20 to fund opioid overdose medication; this adjustment removes it from the budget in FY21 and future years.

https://bfp.wwu.edu/files/FY21%20Budget%20Planning%20Principles%20June%203.pdf


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Public Works Projects PURPOSE: Action Items Purpose of Submittal: Approval of the university recommendations provided on Public Works Projects. Proposed Motion(s): MOVED that the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, award a contract to BNBuilders Inc., Seattle, WA, in the amount of $2,219,943 (plus associated sales tax) for Bid Package #6 - Architectural Casework, Landscape & Irrigation and Site Hardscape - for the Interdisciplinary Science Building project. (PW733) Supporting Information:

• 13a PW733 Architectural Casework, Landscape & Irrigation and Site Hardscape - for the Interdisciplinary Science Building



Richard Van Den Hul, Vice President, Business and Financial Affairs DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Construction Contract for Bid Packages #6 - Architectural Casework,

Landscape & Irrigation and Site Hardscape - for the Interdisciplinary Science Building (PW733)

PURPOSE: Action Item Purpose of Submittal: Award a construction contract for Bid Package #6 – Architectural Casework, Landscape & Irrigation and Site Hardscape - for the Interdisciplinary Science Building project. Proposed Motions: MOVED that the Board of Trustees of Western Washington University, upon the recommendation of the President, award a contract to BNBuilders Inc., Seattle, WA, in the amount of $2,219,943 (plus associated sales tax) for Bid Package #6 - Architectural Casework, Landscape & Irrigation and Site Hardscape - for the Interdisciplinary Science Building project. Supporting Information: The Interdisciplinary Science Building is using the alternative delivery method of General Contractor/Construction Manager (GC/CM) as allowed under RCW 39.10.340. RCW 39.10.370 allows for a Public Body to authorize the GC/CM to proceed with the bidding and award of construction bid packages before the receipt of complete project plans and specifications. This project is using a “Mini-MACC (Maximum Allowable Construction Cost)” option that will award six separate bid packages during the winter, spring, summer, and fall of 2020 (see table below). This option allows Western to accelerate the construction timeframe to meet deadlines while maintaining cost certainty through each bid package. The cost certainty comes through development of a comprehensive construction budget with line item budget values. As Mini-MACCs are bid and awarded, the overall budget is adjusted to correlate with the true construction costs, allowing the bids to be evaluated to ensure compliance with the overall project budget. Additionally, the Mini-MACC option allows the trades that are traditionally long lead services to be bid and awarded in a timely fashion to minimize schedule impacts. The RCW allows these various packages to be publicly bid when they have reached a minimum completion of 90% Construction Documents (CD). All early bid packages were bid at 90% CD, and the final bid package was bid at 100% complete. Bid Package #1 - 5 have been awarded. The table below summarizes the scope, dollar amount, and actions associated with those bid packages.

Bid Package #6 is ready for Board approval and is the final bid package to be awarded. The following scope is included: Architectural Casework, Landscape & Irrigation, and Site Hardscape. The package also includes General Conditions associated with Bid Package # 4 and #5. The following is the breakdown for Bid Package #6: Direct Construction Costs $ 1,402,000 Negotiated Support Services $ - Risk Contingency $ (48,772) General Conditions $ 695,937 GC/CM Fee $ 170,778 TOTAL $ 2,219,943 The table below outlines the value of awarded bid packages #1, #2, #3, #4 and #5, and the value of pending final bid package #6. With bid package #6, the total dollar value that will be awarded to the General Contractor is $48,676,302. This aligns with the total construction budget established for the project, and below what was previously presented to the Board in the following table:

Bid Package

#

BOT Date

BOT Action

Bid Package Description Mini-MACC Package (August 2020)

Mini-MACC Package

(Current)

1 2/14/2020 Awarded Earthwork and Utilities $3,149,475 $3,149,475

2A 4/17/2020 Award Structures & Elevator $8,790,187 $8,790,187

2B 4/17/2020 Delegation of Authority

Fire Protection & Early Mechanical, Electrical, & Plumbing

$3,029,949 $3,029,949

3 6/12/2020 Award Roofing, Lab Casework & Equipment

$2,050,230 $2,050,230

4 7/17/2020 Special Meeting – Award

Architectural Finishes (Floorcoverings and Acoustical Systems), Siding, Enclosure, and Balance of Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing

$23,330,007 $23,330,007

5 8/21/20 Award Architectural Finishes (Framing/Drywall, Painting, Door Frame Hardware), and Miscellaneous Specialties, also includes NSS associated with Bid Package #4.

$6,106,511 $6,106,511

6 10/9/20 Award Balance of Architectural Finishes (Architectural Casework), Landscape & Irrigation and Site Hardscape (also includes General Conditions associated with Bid Package # 4 and #5)

$2,393,489 $2,219,943

After all bid packages, this project will have the following business equity participation:

• Minority-owned businesses: 3.1% • Women-owned businesses: 2.8% • Veteran-owned businesses: 5.1% • Small businesses: 10.7% • Socially disadvantaged businesses: 2.6%

This project was previously only tracking participation with Minority and Women-owned businesses. However, after working with the General Contractor, the project has been able to contract with veteran-owned, small, and socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, all of which are certified with the State Office of MWBE. With these additional firms, the project has a total business equity participation of 24.3%. This is above the cumulative total of their aspirational goals (16%) and substantially higher than the University’s historical average for contractor and supplier business equity participation (under 1%). The total budget for the project is $66,500,000. Source of Funding: State Capital Bond Funds WWU Parking Services Funds


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa on behalf of Melynda Huskey DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Enrollment Management Summary PURPOSE: Information Item

I. Enrollment

On every front, we have had to re-imagine the work of enrollment in higher education: family programming, recruitment, events, advising, orientation, outreach, awarding aid, reporting, scheduling classes, grading, maintaining accreditation, registration, support for the other locations, tracking physical location, housing, graduation, supporting veterans and special populations, evaluating candidates for admission, and communicating all of that to our constituents. We have not succeeded on each front and in each effort, but the work we have done as a university is extraordinary, and it is ongoing. Summer 2020 Enrollment Summer census day occurs very late into the summer at Western. In fact, it happened during finals week on August 18. Our final summer enrollment total was 4,398, which is the highest level of summer enrollment in recent history. The closest we were to that in recent years was 4,269 in 2017. We had seen drops in summer enrollment each of the last two years, but this year we had a healthy jump (an 11.5% increase from summer 2019). Fall 2020 Enrollment—pre-census day* As of the first day of Fall quarter (Wednesday, September 23rd), we had a total student count of 15,060. As of Monday, September 28th, our total student count was 15,209. It is important to note that census day numbers lock overnight on Sunday, October 4th. So, as of Monday, October 5th, we will be able to report on final fall enrollment numbers. Enrollment at 15,209 reflects a 5.8% drop from overall enrollment at census day in Fall 2019. This is extraordinarily good news considering the environment in which we have been operating and market expectations. Institutionally and up until Labor Day, we had been preparing for a 10% drop in overall enrollment for fall. Our biggest losses are in the population of new first-year students, down about 20% from Fall 2019. We are also experiencing significant losses in the new transfer population for Bellingham specifically—down about 10%. While these losses do not necessarily set us apart from other similarly situated institutions, they do present us with ongoing challenges. Particularly noteworthy is the increase in deferrals. Of our would-be first-year students, 278 have been granted deferrals to a future term, as compared to 103 in Fall 2019. Transfer students requested deferrals at a higher rate as well: 75 this year as opposed to 32 in Fall of 2019.

We anticipate that graduate enrollment will be up approximately 10% from Fall 2019 and more modestly (likely around 4% up) from 2018. With some programs bringing in new cohorts every other year, the two-year comparison is important to note. New opportunities are on the horizon for graduate enrollment, with initial discussions on marketing, a strategic enrollment plan, and new programs. As of the first day of fall quarter, I can offer that our enrollment of students of color was holding at 28.2% of total fall enrollments. That would be a record high, if it holds through census day. In short, we will see

• a slight increase in students of color as a percentage of total enrollment (Fall 2019—26.9%) • a slight decrease in first generation students as a percentage of total enrollment (Fall

2019—30.8%) • a slight decrease in PELL eligible students as a percentage of total enrollment (Fall 2019—

23%) • a slight decrease in nonresident students (including international) as a percentage of total

enrollment (Fall 2019—12.3%) Recognizing that “slight increase/decrease” is quite vague, (but again recognizing that we cannot be precise prior to census day and that there will be continued movement until then), more detail is warranted. In each of the bullets listed above, we expect to see a change of about one percentage point up or down for each category. It is heartening that our overall drop in nonresident enrollment is modest, considering pandemic-related expectations. Importantly, our first-year nonresident numbers are actually slightly better as a percentage of first-year enrollment than they were last year. After our first year of concerted out-of-state marketing—thanks to investment from the Foundation and some institutional funding—we can see the value in marketing. University Marketing and Communications and Donna Gibbs led the effort, partnering with Admissions, and did extraordinary work in this regard. Next tier public institutions like Western were expecting to take their most considerable losses among nonresident first-year students. We clearly mitigated those losses. News stories continue to emerge regarding the state of nationwide enrollment realities for Fall 2020, and the narrative is a one of mixed results. Inside Higher Ed reports that “undergraduate enrollment fell at all types of colleges, including private nonprofit four-year colleges (-3.8 percent) and private for-profit four-year colleges (-1.9 percent). The decline was more modest at public four-year colleges (-0.4 percent), although there were differences across public four-year institutions according to location, with rural institutions seeing the biggest decline (-4 percent) and urban institutions seeing slight gains (+0.5 percent).” There are differences from region to region and public to private within those regions. Early on in the pandemic, there was an expectation that public flagships would fare the storm without losses, and that appears to be holding true. Schools at the next tier felt those losses, as flagships made adjustments in their admissions processes. Meanwhile, we are hearing from our colleagues at the other public 4-year institutions in Washington (other than UW) that they are experiencing enrollment variations for this fall that are similar to ours. Other noteworthy reports include the 20% drop in Harvard’s undergraduate enrollment and

reports suggesting that community college enrollment is suffering with drops of 5-10%. We expect to start seeing reporting on enrollment results as they relate to the choices that institutions made this fall about their instructional method, as we know students sat out at a higher rate when they did not believe that they could get the on-campus experience that they wanted in Fall 2020. The following charts are far less helpful in assessing what fall enrollment will be, as we now have actual enrollment numbers. However, these reflections on the final work of admissions may be of interest in seeing where the weak spots were during the pandemic. It is clear that converting offers to confirmations was the challenge this year. That matches with what happened across higher education. These charts represent application status as of the first class day, compared to the same time last year. New Fall first-year students—Bellingham

Applied (% change 2019 to

2020)

Admitted (% change 2019 to

2020)

Confirmed (% change 2019 to

2020) 2020 10,206 (-2.8%) 9,545 (.5%) 2,629 (-18.2%) 2019 10,503 9,495 3,213 2018 11,112 9,739 3,236

New Fall transfer students—Bellingham


2020)


2020)


2020) 2020 2,039 (-1.5%) 1,672 (-1.8%) 1,025 (-8.6%) 2019 2,070 1,703 1,122 2018 2,210 1,728 1,151

New Fall transfer students—other locations


2020)


2020)


2020) 2020 251 (12.6%) 167 (0%) 152 (-1.9%) 2019 223 167 155 2018 222 166 145

New Student Recruitment and the Admissions Cycle—Fall 2021 and Fall 2022 With this year’s class secured, we are dedicating more time and attention to identifying trends by demographic and geographic indicators where we over- and under-performed in relation to last year. While the dynamics caused by the pandemic make for tricky direct comparisons, we hope to glean information as we accelerate our recruitment efforts for the Fall 2021 and 2022 cohorts. An environmental scan points to five main themes that are likely to challenge admissions and enrollment leaders in the upcoming cycle. The emergence—and likely permanence—of the test-optional movement is, by most measures, a positive. Following a decades-long outcry by access advocates and debate among students, parents, school counselors, researchers, university officials, and others,

the movement reached a pivotal point following the widespread cancellations of tests (ACT and SAT) as a result of the pandemic. On the other hand, for many years testing agencies have provided an important conduit for colleges and universities to directly market to nearly 3 million high school seniors each year. Consequently, colleges will have to rely on other methods to identify, engage, and convert students from unknown college prospects to applicants in an environment where there will be significantly less demand or incentive for students to take college entrance exams. We are contracting with additional college search sites, pursuing name buy opportunities from other sources, creating new data sharing agreements, increasing digital marketing, and working with colleagues at Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC) and around the state to open every door to get contact information on college bound students so that we can work to recruit them directly. Continued closures of high schools and community colleges (relying on remote instruction) will keep a significant number of recruitment staff place bound during the height of the college search season and reduce our access to prospective students. Additionally, elimination or reduction in travel, combined with restricted access to college facilities, will keep many families from visiting college campuses. Virtual and technology-dependent solutions are key. Early surveys suggest that depressed economic conditions—magnified by the pandemic—have created more significant disparities between students at the higher and lower economic quintiles as it relates to accessing technological resources to connect with admission representatives. Additionally, fewer families will have the means to plan for trips or vacations which traditionally involved a stop at a college or university on a student’s “short list.” Zoom Fatigue in the high school is as real of a phenomenon as it is in collegiate, professional, or home spaces. Though secondary schools are slowly deploying hybrid learning models to engage students and educators with in-person instruction, high schools have eliminated traditional college fairs or canceled visits by college recruitment staff. Though there have been a number of online fairs sponsored by leading higher education organizations and school districts, early indicators suggest that attendance at exploratory virtual programs has been significantly (even shockingly) lower than in-person events. Western’s Office of Admissions continues to adjust to this “new normal”. Our activities have focused on enhancing our personal connections and information sharing in a way that reaches college-aged prospects. We are attempting to be as proactive as possible by engaging students and families to think about what is next and by welcoming them to directly connect with staff and current students in a number of recorded and live sessions and experiences, in group settings or private appointments:

• High school visits (hosted sessions for students from the same high school) • “Applying for College” sessions (partnering with Community-Based Organizations) • Spanish language tours • Residence Hall tours • “Selfie” tours by Admissions tour guides • Themed information sessions (e.g. honors, housing, athletics, clubs, STEM, Art, Multicultural

Center) • One-on-one chats with current Western students

• Contests for giveaways on social media posts (Instagram) • Fun videos on Tik Tok

We continue to learn in these new spaces, and we regularly capitalize on opportunities for innovation. We hope that this blend of engagements in the digital environment will benefit students and families. The sustained collaboration with internal stakeholders and external partners will play a significant factor in our ability to successfully recruit for the Fall 2021 class.

II. Registrar The Registrar’s Office remains focused on student service as well as creating and implementing new systems and processes, as we continue to work remotely due to the global pandemic.

• Implementation of House Bill 2513, Higher Education Debt Collection – Effective June 11, 2020 the Legislative Session Report included HB 2513, which prohibits institutions of higher education from withholding a student's official transcripts or registration privileges as a tool for debt collection, except for debt related to unpaid tuition, fees, room and board expenses, or financial aid funds owed. In partnership with the Student Business Office, the Registrar’s Office has reviewed all current University hold processes to determine any holds for indebtedness outside the allowed categories, removed all holds which do not comply with HB 2513, and adjusted hold processes to incorporate the new legislative requirements. In keeping with the intent of HB 2513 and in the interest of transparency in our work with students, the university has eliminated all holds on access to transcripts related to indebtedness.

• Census Date Programming – Several new processes were developed to streamline the coordination of capturing data for reporting to state and federal agencies following census day.

• COVID Clearance Tracking – For the health and safety of our campus community, the Registrar’s Office partnered with the Student Health Center to develop a method for indicating when students who live in campus housing or are taking face-to-face courses have a COVID-19 clearance.

• Dean’s Withdrawal - The Registrar’s Office partnered with the Office of Student Life to implement a new Dean’s Withdrawal Policy, designed to streamline University processes to best support students leaving the University temporarily. A new internal coding system has been developed to provide key offices an easy way to identify a withdrawal that requires the support of the Office of Student Life and therefore may be sensitive in nature and warrant special processing.

• New Student Convocation – The Division of Enrollment and Student Services and the Provost’s Office partner each year to produce New Student Convocation to welcome students to Western’s academic environment. This ceremonial event was delivered virtually on Tuesday, September 22nd. It serves as the introduction to the collegiate intellectual experience in the same way that commencement serves as the conclusion. The RO commencement team coordinated the event planning, including organizing approximately 40 discussion sessions in Zoom rooms at the end of the virtual production to add a layer of socialization and engagement to this virtual event.

• Grade Mode Change Request Form – With the continuing need to move traditional paper-based and in-person processes to online forms and automated processes, the Registrar’s

https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fapp.leg.wa.gov%2Fbillsummary%3FBillNumber%3D2513%26Initiative%3Dfalse%26Year%3D2019&data=02%7C01%7Csotos%40wwu.edu%7Cee2b7ddb893846724b4408d86359f4db%7Cdc46140ce26f43efb0ae00f257f478ff%7C0%7C0%7C637368585312971197&sdata=BCogDKerMGaOX2xVnYcgbLgfiBbvLFX%2FBdrOK1ec8a0%3D&reserved=0

Office developed a web-based process for students electing to be graded on a pass/no pass (EP/NP) basis rather than a letter grade basis. This has been adapted for use under the temporary grading policies in place for Fall 2020.

• Temporary Grading Policy Implementation – As we continue to adjust to remote instruction, Western still recognizes a need to accommodate students in these unusual circumstances. To that end, temporary grading policies for undergraduate and for graduate students are in place for fall. These differ from the temporary grading policies that were in place for spring and summer, and the Registrar’s Office has undertaken the programming work to accommodate those policies, including the establishment of new web-based processes for requesting to be evaluated in the EP/NP grading mode.

• Winter Course Scheduling – After the complicated work of rebuilding the fall schedule twice, the Registrar’s Office is prepared to rebuild the winter course schedule, utilizing the new instructional modalities developed for remote teaching during the pandemic. Again, we will work with campus partners to ensure that all face-to-face courses are scheduled in classrooms with sufficient capacity for appropriate social distancing and to ensure that we utilize spaces with the most effective HVAC systems for those face-to-face offerings.

III. Student Aid

Financial aid has disbursed smoothly for Fall 2020, despite ongoing changes to regulations, changes to fees, and updated guidance on several fronts. Federal Requirements for Adjustments to Cost of Attendance We anticipated that the U.S. Department of Education would extend (from Spring 2020 to Fall 2020) the flexibility to refrain from recalculating costs of attendance and aid eligibilities when students changed their living arrangements from that reported on their aid applications. Upon receiving Federal guidance that Federal flexibilities had not been extended, Financial Aid informed student aid applicants—through Western’s Financial Aid website and through emails to nearly 12,000 students—of the requirement that they update the Financial Aid department in writing of changes to their living arrangements. Within the next two days, in late August, the U.S. Department of Education extended the flexibility to refrain from recalculating through December 31, 2020, or the end date for the COVID-19 Federally declared emergency, whichever occurs later. With that allowance, Financial Aid reached out again to let students know that their Fall 2020 aid would not need to be adjusted and that we would keep them apprised of developments. Ongoing Adjustments for Individual Circumstances Requests for additional financial support are coming in from students and parents who have suffered financial losses from COVID-19 and from wildfires, and those are being considered on a case-by-case basis. Washington College Grant The 2020-21 school year serves as the inaugural year that the Washington College Grant will be an entitlement. In previous years, students eligible for the Washington College Grant were not guaranteed funding because funds were limited by institutional allocations. In addition, eligibility was expanded for 2020-21, so that more low- and middle-income families qualify. Examples:

• An eligible student from a family of four with a family income of $50,000 or less per year will receive the maximum Washington College Grant of $7,381 for the academic year at Western.

• An eligible student from a family of four with a family income of $97,000 (approximately the state’s median family income) will receive a Washington College Grant in the amount of $738 for the academic year.

Recruitment Awards Admissions and Financial Aid must overcommit available recruitment scholarships and tuition waivers to recruit new students. This year we offered $16.6 million in funding to yield approximately $5.7 million in projected disbursements for the 2020-21 academic year. Emergency Support for Students Financial Aid continues to review Federal CARES grant applications from students who have incurred expenses related to campus disruption from COVID-19. Requests for CARES funds have exceeded available funds. Approximately $1.1 million, reserved for Fall 2020 out of Western’s $5.8 million allocation, will be disbursed throughout fall quarter to help keep students in school. CARES grants were recently awarded to 72 incoming first-year students who expressed the need for financial assistance for technological expenses related to taking classes remotely. In addition, 17 students within our graduate-level Speech/Language Pathology and Audiology program received CARES funding for virtual audiometer simulation software to support their remote studies. The Scholarship Center continues to award students emergency microgrants through the Western Foundation Student Emergency Fund as well as through other Foundation accounts. When appropriate and possible, awards are being augmented by Western Grant, derived from tuition revenues, to make Foundation funds stretch further. Student Employment Update The Student Employment Center continues to place Western students in part-time on- and off-campus jobs. The demand for federal, state and institutional work study student employees remains strong because funding for wages is provided centrally. Therefore, departments do not need to incur direct costs for student wages. However, fiscal constraints and changes in the need for student employees in the remote working environment are reducing the number of departmentally-funded student employment positions available for the upcoming year.

We anticipate that a high proportion of student employees will be able to earn their scheduled wages through remote work. Survey results from last spring showed that 80% of our student employees were able to continue to earn wages by working remotely, despite COVID-19 disruption. Unlike most universities, Western provides an institutional work study program funded from tuition revenues to increase on-campus work opportunities. During the 2019-20 school year, 273 Western students earned a total of $607,591 through Western’s institutional work study program. In addition, the Student Employment Center is assisting with the identification of student employees who will work on campus to help ensure that they undergo required testing for COVID-19.

Imaging System Migration Financial will complete migration of over one million documents from our current Nolij imaging system to Hyland OnBase on November 9, necessitated by a Nolij software end-of-life date of December 31. Implementation of additional functionalities to replace e-sign forms will occur over the course of the upcoming academic year. Gearing Up for 2021-22 Financial aid is already preparing for 2021-22. Filing of the 2021-22 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and WASFA (Washington Application for State Financial Aid) begins on October 1, 2020. Western’s Financial Aid department is collaborating with the Washington Student Achievement Council, Western’s Admissions Office and others to organize and provide virtual FAFSA and WASFA completion events statewide to make students and families aware of how to apply for financial aid, as well as help them through the application process.

IV. New Student Services/Family Outreach Advising & Orientation Fall Wrap Up The New Student Services/Family Outreach office has helped wrap up the final session for the Fall Advising & Orientation program, with the last session completed on September 21st. In continued partnership with colleagues from Academic Advising and the Registrar's Office, we completed a record number of 25 orientation, advising, and registration sessions serving 3,396 new students (839 transfers and post-baccalaureates; 2,557 first-years). Moving the programs to online platforms and virtual delivery posed a number of challenges, notably a compressed amount of time to design and coordinate our processes. Colleagues across campus continued to provide support from the first program to the last, with communications, marketing, web development, tech support, presentation development, and hosting live events—all with a very collaborative and willing spirit. While feedback from participants about the program offerings and processes will continue to be gathered over the coming months, the general feeling from campus partners is that our programs were a success. The planning staff for the events will also engage in debriefs and reflection on the programs and processes with a goal of continuing to strengthen these delivery modes through the COVID-19 circumstances and beyond. While the challenges faced were likely similar in theme to what any department or institution has faced in the current circumstances, it is also worth noting the new endeavors, program enhancements, and benefits that emerged. Orientation Materials Now Web-based NSSFO worked with the Web Tech staff and central University Communications to produce a more comprehensive Orientation website to highlight resources, FAQ's, live events, pre-recorded information videos about academic departments and majors, as well as instructive videos from student service areas about how to access and utilize campus resources. Featured on the page is a Welcome Anthem, produced by our creative team in University Communications, as well as video welcome messages from President Randhawa and Vice President Huskey, messages from faculty, a much-viewed video from our Health and Wellness team, and a message of inclusion offered by Professor Francisco Rios.

https://orientation.wwu.edu/

By developing this type of in-depth informational website, more students and their families had much faster and more equitable access to critical information to help them get started at Western. Students and families had more time to review campus resources and information at their own pace. The virtual delivery of orientation allowed Western to offer programming that would not have been possible with the space and time constraints of our previous in-person events, and the opportunity to blend asynchronous programming with scheduled live events gave students and families many more choices and the flexibility to take in pieces of orientation on demand. Additionally, there is now a bank of resources that can remain online for the duration of the academic year, for students entering Western during any quarter. It has been impossible in the past with in-person programming to replicate for students entering in Winter, Spring, or Summer the orientation experience that the Fall students and families experience, despite our best efforts. The curation of a deep bank of resources can now serve all new students every quarter and is a strategy to continue. Winter Advising & Orientation Planning With the Fall Orientation, Advising, and Registration programs complete, we now turn to preparations for the Winter Quarter 2021 programs, which will also be delivered virtually. NSSFO is in the midst of finalizing dates and processes for sessions; sessions are anticipated to begin in mid-November as they have in previous years. Other Welcome Events During the opening week around the first day of classes, NSSFO participated in Zoom-based info sessions with the Associated Students' Info Fair and New Student Convocation. In past years, NSSFO annually hosted an in-person Out-of-State Student Dinner prior to classes starting. This year, we hosted a virtual Out-of-State Student Mixer. During our pandemic reality, we have also planned some alternative points of connections with those students and families at a distance. Our first mixer event had close to 30 student participants, giving us clear feedback that out-of-state students want to connect with Western and with classmates. NSSFO will look to plan additional events, likely in smaller groups by state or region, in the coming months. Fall Family Weekend NSSFO will host our annual Fall Family Weekend program via a virtual experience over the weekend of October 16-18, 2020. As mentioned in the last report, the Office of Admissions will be hosting their virtual Fall Admitted Student Day over the same weekend, so our offices are collaborating on ways to overlap some of our offerings and invite prospective students and families to join select events as part of Fall Family Weekend. As with the Orientation programs, the schedule of events will be adjusted to match our delivery mode, and we are excited about the schedule that is coming together. While final details have yet to be confirmed, we're anticipating some really fun virtual events, including

• cooking demos by Huxley faculty member Gigi Berardi (cheese and breadmaking), • pumpkin carving with our Orientation Student Advisor staff—complete with downloadable

WWU stencil for a Viking-themed pumpkin, • Planetarium shows, and • links to resources that continue celebrating Huxley College's 50-year anniversary.

We're also working to continue our community partnership with Bellewood Farms to provide an online ordering option for "Brunch in a Box." Instead of our annual, in-person Brunch on the Farm, Bellewood is curating a box of starter items that can be shipped anywhere in the U.S. and features local products and recipes for an inspired meal at home.

OCTOBER 2020The mission of University Advancement is to build relationships through meaningful engagements that foster pride, encourage advocacy, and promote private support for Western Washington University.

UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT REPORT

LETTER FROM STEPHANIE

The Boards of the Foundation and Alumni Association have taken a proactive stance regarding their commitments to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Board members decided to read a common book, and in the spirit of leadership community, have joined the board of trustees in reading How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi. They are planning a joint workshop that will take place during the December meeting agenda. And recruitment and retention of diverse board members is a priority for each organization. Additional DEI agenda items for the Foundation include raising and awarding funds for several scholarships that were initiated this past spring.

Leadership changes for the Foundation include welcoming Sydney Hunsdale as Chair, Andrea Sturm as Vice Chair, and Tony George as Secretary. Rick Anderson remains the Treasurer. Officers of the Alumni Association continue this fiscal year. The board recruitment process is ongoing for both the Foundation and the Alumni Association. The Foundation is pleased to have onboarded four new board members this month:

Advancement staff have been all-hands-on-deck to transition to a new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. The Ellucian cloud-based system went live in mid-July after a full two years of work and preparation. While transitions take time, and change can be challenging, the new system will significantly improve the advancement business process.

Engagement and fundraising work are detailed in this report; we are proud of the many ways our alumni, parents, friends, corporations, and foundations are involved with supporting Western.

Stephanie Bowers Vice President of University Advancement President & CEO of the Western Foundation

Christy Johnson (‘01) Founder and CEO,

Artemis Connection

Chris Witherspoon (‘94) Founder and Chief

Creative Officer, DNA Creative; former president of the

Alumni Association

Vini Samuel (‘94) Attorney at Law; Mayor

of Montesano, WA; former member of the

Alumni Association Board

Mark Reis (‘75) Independent consultant,

management advising; retired director of

SEATAC airport

Stephanie Bowers

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Project Budget: $68,000,000 The budget for design and construction of the new Advanced Technology Engineering and Computer Science building is $68 million. The university received $2 million for design-related expenses from the Washington State Legislature in FY20, and the Legislature has signaled its intention to fund $46 million for construction in the upcoming FY21-23 budget.

Campaign Goal: $20,000,000 In fall 2019, the Western Washington University Foundation announced a capital campaign to raise $20 million in gifts and pledges by the end of 2020. Led by staff and a committee of dedicated volunteers, the campaign is making excellent progress and is poised to achieve the goal.

Committed Gifts and pledges currently total nearly $13 million and are increasing daily with the launch of the individual solicitation phase of the campaign. A video announcing this phase may be viewed on the campaign website: wwu.edu/build

Pending There are approximately $3.2 million in funding requests pending. These requests have been submitted through invited proposals and have a high probability of funding success.

Exploring The Foundation is currently exploring the potential for funding beyond the original $20 million goal to support an exemplary net-zero energy design for the building. This design would make Kaiser-Borsari Hall the cornerstone of the university’s plan to become a carbon-neutral campus.

UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT WESTERN FOUNDATION AND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: BUILDING WASHINGTON’S FUTURE

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http://wwu.edu/build


Prior to the arrival of COVID-19, Western’s Student Success campaign helped raise over $10M in student-focused financial support. Our initial funding priorities focused on admissions scholarships, research and creative activity, and study abroad opportunities.

Because the pandemic has currently impacted certain activities — including side-by-side research between students and faculty, and international educational experiences — Western is implementing a campaign refresh for Student Success.

We frequently talk about inclusive success at Western: Helping to ensure students have equal access to education, equal experiences while in school, and equal success in outcomes.

Western is committed to recruiting, supporting, and empowering an increasingly diverse student body while working to close the opportunity gaps that exist in higher education and our broader society. Western’s refreshed Student Success campaign will deliver our promise and provide solutions in three primary ways:

STUDENT SUCCESS

Making college more affordable. Scholarships have an enormous impact on recruitment, retainment, and ensuring students receive their degrees without the crippling burden of long-term debt. Scholarship gifts pay a lifetime of dividends to both student recipients and society.

Ensuring excellence in both programming and experience. Excellence is a hallmark of Western Washington University. Regardless of their educational backgrounds, we specialize in transforming students’ determination into academic excellence. We are also equipped to help the highest achievers learn and grow to even greater heights through our nationally recognized Honors Program.

Providing comprehensive student support and safety nets. Helping students succeed is an all-inclusive commitment at Western. In addition to helping provide an affordable, excellent education, we want them to thrive in their learning community. Western is committed to offering the right tools and services to our students to ensure success in the classroom and in life.

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Confronting Systemic Racism Webinar Identifying the systemic inequities that permeate our communities and our institutions is a vital first step toward rectifying injustice, but many are wondering how to confront these structures to create lasting change.

To explore this topic, the WWU Alumni Association presented a webinar conversation, titled “Confronting Systemic Racism,” with distinguished alumni of color on September 16. The panel discussion was moderated by KING-5 news anchor Joyce Taylor (’84), and featured Academy Award-winning filmmaker TJ Martin (’05), Vini Samuel (’94), the first Indian-American woman mayor in the U.S., Jesse Moore (’05), communications strategist and former speechwriter for President Obama, and Nathaniel Gaines (’20) a senior majoring in human services.

More than 350 participants registered to attend the powerful 90-minute webinar. The panelists shared their views and experiences as people of color. They urged participants to vote, to get curious about people with different points of view, to avoid cynicism, and to hold others accountable for their words and actions.

The webinar generated more than $3,000 in donations to the Western Stands for Racial Equity Fund which supports recruitment and retention scholarships for students of color in honor and in memory of those who have faced injustice for generations. The scholarships are an investment in young leaders poised to take action at the local and national levels.

These are critical conversations during this turbulent time, and we intend to continue this dialogue.

An audio recording of the webinar is available on the WWU Alumni Association website at: alumni.wwu.edu/event/confronting-systemic-racism-perspectives-wwu-alumni-color.


Virtual 5K The WWU Alumni Association’s virtual Viking 5K in August was a success! Participants raised $3,526 for the Alumni Scholarship Fund. The event offered fun for the whole family with Viking participants ranging in age from 10-75+. Many joined from across the country.

Paint B’ham Blue for WWU Over 1,100 students registered for the fifth annual Paint B’ham Blue for WWU! Joined by alumni, faculty, staff, and donors, the virtual celebration took place on September 23. To view the 30-minute celebration video, please visit: alumni.wwu.edu/paintbhamblue

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https://www.vikingfunder.com/project/21314

http://alumni.wwu.edu/event/confronting-systemic-racism-perspectives-wwu-alumni-color

http://alumni.wwu.edu/paintbhamblue

Fall Campaign Western has weathered the economic downturn, decreased enrollment, and COVID-19 with a strong incoming class and a healthy outlook. Our students, programs, and departments still need support for research, creative opportunities, and scholarships. Learn more about the Fall Campaign this month and please join us in keeping Western strong. Stay tuned for more information about this campaign coming to your inbox and your mailbox. Every donation makes a difference in the lives of our students.


Socktober During the month of October (“Socktober”), the WWU Alumni Association will launch its free membership program to Western students. Our new student members will receive a free pair of Viking socks. Members also receive invitations to special events, discounts, and more. Follow our social media platforms or visit alumni.wwu.edu/join.

“This gift has allowed me to pursue my passion, and it has given me a foundation

on which to build my future. I hope that I will be able to

provide similar opportunities for students in the future. I cannot express how much it

has meant to me. Thank you.”

Jackson Bard (’21) Accounting, Management

Information Systems

“This scholarship has made the dream and possibility of going for my Master’s

degree after graduating from Western a reality.”

Emmalene Madsen (’20) East Asian Studies, Chinese

“This has been a reminder that there are opportunities

available if you work hard and pursue them. It also serves to remind me that there are

many people working to make the world a better place by

helping others.”

Charlotte Abernathy (’21) Politics, Philosophy

and Economics

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https://www.instagram.com/wwu_alumni/

http://alumni.wwu.edu/join

IMPACT STORYCollege of Fine and Performing Arts: Anna Schwecke ‘20 Major: Design Recent graduate Anna Schwecke (’20) knows how to make the most of every opportunity. Living life to its fullest is her specialty.

The basketball star and design major jokes that she was born with a basketball in her hand. After transferring to Western as a sophomore, she played a leading role on the court, earning a basketball scholarship, and appearing in 89 games, making 86 starts, and scoring 978 points while averaging 11 points per game. But this Honorable Mention WBCA All-American isn’t just about sports.

A native of Evergreen, Colorado, Anna grew up hiking, running, kayaking, skiing, and camping – all of which informed her love for the outdoors and her taste for adventure. Last year, a travel scholarship, provided by generous Western donors like you, answered her dream of studying abroad in San Sebastian, Spain. The experience, and her immersion into Spanish culture, inspired new ideas and perspectives, and was, in her words, truly “amazing.”

Anna’s scholarships empowered her to focus on her education and to take advantage of the full Western experience. Over the past three years, she blossomed as an athlete and a talented illustrator and designer, so much so that she was named CFPA’s Outstanding Graduate in Design. She credits her donors, coaches, teammates, teachers, and classmates with her success.

Western’s sense of community served as a foundation for the senior. “I always loved working in the labs after school…. We would all be helping each other with our projects, and just stressing and venting about school and

Your gifts have given this exemplary young woman a solid foundation for a bright and creative future. Please join us in supporting hardworking, determined students like Anna.—

Anna Schwecke (’20)

life. There is a unique kind of community within the design department that is really special,” said Anna.

As she embarks on the next chapter of her life, Anna hopes to combine her interests in art and nature by working for an outdoor company as a visual marketer.

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Western Washington University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy and parenting status), disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status or genetic information in its programs or activities. Inquiries may be directed to the Vice Provost for Equal Opportunity & Employment Diversity, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Equal Opportunity Office, WWU, Old Main 345, MS 9021, 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); [email protected].

To request this document in an alternate format, please contact Frances Badgett, Assistant Director of Advancement Marketing & Communications; 360.650.2190 (voice); [email protected].

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Capital Program Report Board of Trustees October 9, 2020

MAJOR / INTERMEDIATE CAPITAL PROJECTS

Interdisciplinary Science Building (formerly known as Sciences Building Addition - STEM I) WWU is working with Perkins+Will (design consultant) and BNBuilders (General Contractor/ Construction Manager). The project is scheduled to be complete in Winter Quarter 2022. Live video feed is available at: https://fdcb.wwu.edu/interdisciplinary-science-building-webcams. Below are screen captures from September 18th.

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Pre-design is complete and was approved by the State in July 2020. The project has commenced design with Perkins+Will, the selected design consultant. Pending approval of State funding the 2021-23 capital budget, construction is scheduled to commence in Summer 2022 with scheduled completion in late Fall 2023 for Winter 2024 occupancy.

https://fdcb.wwu.edu/interdisciplinary-science-building-webcams

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Elevator Preservation and ADA Upgrades Construction on Morse Hall, Environmental Studies, and Biology Building elevators is substantially complete and are now operable. Morse Hall and Environmental Studies were suspended from March to May due to COVID-19. Work on elevators in Bond Hall and Arntzen Hall will be complete by December 2020.

Multiple Building Access Control

DECO/Dutton Electric and their subcontractor Convergint Technologies have successfully completed the access control system conversion for the majority of campus buildings. The project suspended construction due to the Governor’s orders under Proclamation 20-25 in March; the project was re-started per Safe Start Phase 1 in May and is expected to be complete by the end of 2020.

University Residences Access Control Dawson and their subcontractor VECA Electric with Convergint Technologies began work to install new access control systems on University Residences buildings. Construction was suspended due to COVID-19 impacts. The project was substantially de-scoped due to funding impacts from COVID-19 and the minor work left in-scope should be complete by Fall Quarter 2020. Only Birnam Wood access control was updated with this project.

New Residence Hall

The progressive design team consists of Lydig Construction from Spokane and Mahlum Architects from Seattle. COVID-19 protocols are in place and are being monitored by PBS Environmental (third party consultant), WWU’s Environmental Health and Safety, WWU on-site representatives, and the Lydig management team. Occupancy is still scheduled for Fall 2021 occupancy. The team is also working in Ridgeway Commons to improve ADA accessibility from the south entrance of the new residence hall to the second floor dining facility. Ridgeway Commons is the closest eatery to the new residence hall. The Ridgeway Commons scope includes adding an elevator and two gender neutral/accessible restrooms, as well as upgrading the fire alarm system. The following webpage shows live video feed from webcams installed for the New Residence Hall portion of the project: https://fdcb.wwu.edu/new-residence-hall-webcams . Below are screen captures from September 18th.

https://fdcb.wwu.edu/new-residence-hall-webcams

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Multiple Building Replacement of Switchgear, Panels and Motor Controls

DECO/Dutton Electric has completed construction. The project is currently in Close Out and expects to release liens soon.

Environmental Studies Classrooms and Labs

Diverse Contractors & Associates has made final completion.

Parks Hall and Science Lecture Electronic Safety and Security Upgrade The project was awarded to DECO/Dutton Electric. The project suspended construction due to the Governor’s orders under Proclamation 20-25 in March, and re-started per Safe Start Phase 1 in May. The project is currently approximately 95% complete and remains on schedule for completion by Fall Quarter 2020.

Birnam Wood Replace Siding This project was terminated due to funding impacts from COVID-19. The project is closed.

Fairhaven Academic Replace Main Electrical Switch Gear Construction is anticipated to begin soon and complete September 2021.

OTHER PROJECTS OF NOTE

Classroom and Lab Upgrade Program The Classroom and Lab Upgrade program consists of several public works and in-house projects funded with State appropriations in the 2017-2019 and 2019-2021 capital budgets. The projects are campus-wide and include modernizing existing classrooms and labs as well as converting existing offices into modern and active classrooms. Currently, approximately 65% of all projects are complete. The remaining projects are either nearing completion, in construction, or finishing design. All projects are scheduled to be complete by June 2021.

Gender Neutral Restrooms

Gender neutral restrooms have been completed in Communications Facility, Miller Hall, Academic West, and Fairhaven. The Gender Neutral Restroom in the Performing Arts Center is slated for completion in mid-October 2020 and the restrooms on the 1st and 5th floors of Environmental Studies are slated for completion in mid-December 2020.

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2021-2031 Capital Plan The Board reviewed and approved the 2021-2031 Capital Plan (Plan) and 2021-2023 Capital Request (Request) at the June 2020 meeting. Individual project proposals associated with the Request were submitted to the Office of Financial Management in August 2020 and the final versions of the Plan and Request were submitted in September 2020. The individual project proposals are anticipated to be scored prior to the end of October 2020 and the Governor’s proposed budget is anticipated to be released in December 2020. For more information about the major projects, the Capital Program, and the Capital Planning Process, please visit the Office of Facilities Development and Capital Budget website: https://fdcb.wwu.edu/.

https://fdcb.wwu.edu/


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: President Sabah Randhawa by Donna Gibbs, V.P. for University Relations and

Marketing DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: University Relations and Marketing Report PURPOSE: Information Item Purpose of Submittal: A written report is provided on the recent activities of University Relations and Marketing. Supporting Information: Report Attached

WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY RELATIONS

AND MARKETING

Following is a summary of activities undertaken across the University Relations & Marketing division since the last Board of Trustees update. A couple of items of note: COVID-19 Resources The rapid pivot to “virtual everything” over the past six months has created an outsized need for the resources and talents of the URM division. From fast and accurate communications to multiple constituencies, to new websites built in a matter of hours and inspiring video storytelling, to critical support for our region’s small businesses and economic recovery efforts, this division has repeatedly shown up in remarkable and reliably consistent ways. Some examples are the coronavirus website, helping departments update their own content as employees choose to enroll in voluntary furlough opportunities, online orientation, and building out a workflow and presentation for commencement moving fully online. This pivot has created an especially acute need for additional video production and web design expertise. In addition, increased online teaching has generated a large increase in work involving digital accessibility. The increased workload is both impacting the time required to review websites before they are launched for the public as well as putting pressure on providing Canvas Learning Tool Interoperability for faculty teaching courses. We are grateful to be able to tap one-time CARES Act funding to hire a temporary videographer and web developer, and to alter the employment contract of our digital accessibility expert from .20 FTE to 1.0 FTE for the remainder of FY21 to deal with the increased workload. Cohesive Institutional Marketing As I reflect back on my early impressions and assessments when I joined Western in 2017, one of the greatest challenges I identified was the highly decentralized and siloed approach to marketing and communications at Western, and an entrenched do-it-yourself mentality across colleges and departments that lacked cohesion and coordination. Since then, we have made steady progress in developing a cohesive brand strategy and more integrated institutional marketing, but it took a global pandemic to accelerate that progress. As the coronavirus response forces us to cut costs and find efficiencies, collaboration is at an all-time high because it has to be. The real and imagined barriers that used to prevent departments from working together are crumbling and this, too, has put additional pressure on URM. As we work to expand enrollments – across the state, on the main Bellingham campus and in regional locations, and among non-resident and graduate students – we are accelerating our efforts at an integrated marketing strategy. During the 19-20 recruitment cycle, we had an opportunity to test a more integrated approach to non-resident marketing supported by dedicated funding from institutional and WWU Foundation sources. We believe this approach has mitigated losses of non-resident enrollments and that this, combined with ongoing recruitment strategies, are an important

https://www.wwu.edu/coronavirus

https://orientation.wwu.edu/

start to building awareness among high school sophomores and juniors in targeted geographies outside of Washington state that will help us build enrollment pipelines for future years. Of course, recruitment for Fall 2020 has been impacted in unprecedented ways by the global pandemic. In colleges across the country, non-resident enrollment was expected to be down by several percentage points this year; with COVID-19, it is anticipated to be significantly lower. That said, prior to the COVID-19 period, we were seeing initial signs of success from our 2019-20 investment in non-resident recruitment marketing. Building brand awareness and market penetration takes time. Even so, our efforts to catch the attention of out-of-state seniors and bring them to Western was reflected in pre-COVID increases in applications and offers of admission during an otherwise down year for college applications. We look forward to sharing an enrollment report for Fall 2020 and a look at new recruitment campaigns underway for Fall 2021 during the Board of Trustees meeting. Status of the Western Crossing Project in the Bellingham Waterfront District In December 2019, the Port of Bellingham and WWU defined a public-private partnership model that proposed a mix of private sector industries and developers, public agencies and a multi-institutional higher education presence. The goal we laid out was a set of facilities that would both expand the employer base and provide potential opportunities for applied learning, integrated research in undergraduate and graduate programs, and desirable jobs for Whatcom County residents. Our to-do list for 2020 was to establish a Port/WWU P3 team, determine development commitments that each entity was willing to make to catalyze the project, and issue RFPs to private development partners. The P3 team was established in January and we were making good progress via twice-monthly meetings until the coronavirus pandemic took everyone’s attention starting in March. Prior to that time, we visited and evaluated other public-private innovation parks and engaged interest among some of Western’s research partners in private industry and among state and federal agencies. Given the immediate impacts of the coronavirus and the uncertainty of the economic recovery timeline, we have decided to slow our pace a bit and move to quarterly meetings of the P3 team. The University and the Port continue to believe that expanding academic programming on Bellingham’s revitalized waterfront provides a unique opportunity to expand capacity and visibility, and strengthen partnerships in private industry and with non-profits, government and other education entities. As our state and region emerges from the current recession, we will continue to gauge interest among private developers and potential tenants. We’re interested also in how new remote work patterns may endure in a post-pandemic economy, and how ongoing affordable housing and traffic congestion issues continue to impact migration patterns away from dense urban areas.

A recent report issued by the Cascadia Innovation Corridor predicts that by 2050, 3-4 million more people expect to inhabit the Cascadia region, connecting Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, B.C—that’s on top of the more than 9 million people in the region now, representing a population increase of more than 30% over the next 30 years. We remain committed to carving out a meaningful position for Bellingham and Western in the Cascadia region and we continue to plan for the inevitable growth to come and work together to determine ways to preserve our region for future generations.

Office of University Communications

Our skilled professionals worked on a wide range of online, media relations, social media, video and graphic design projects, which included:

Coronavirus Communications

• Coordinated with WWU Prevention and Wellness to assist with a wide range of COVID-19 health messages via social media, digital signage, posters and banners. See examples of those materials at: https://www.wwu.edu/safe-start/posters.

• Assisted Associated Students Communications Director (and Student Trustee) Hunter Stuehm in the AS innovative peer-to-peer social media outreach from students to students on COVID-19 health precautions. KING 5 TV had a story on this, quoting both Stuehm and Steve Bennett, WWU assistant professor of Public Health. See: https://www.king5.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/western-washington-university-students-use-social-media-to-educate-incoming-students/281-6949baa4-e99e-4251-b88c-04bbf4840d50.

• Our office, Prevention & Wellness and AS Communications also are working closely with the county Health Department as they reach out to people in the community aged 16-26 with COVID-19 health information via social media. Professor Bennett is helping with those efforts via a survey he is conducting. The Bellingham Herald reported on this. See: https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/coronavirus/article245777740.html.

• President Randhawa; Dr. Sislena Ledbetter, Western’s executive director for

Counseling, Health and Wellness; and Dr. David Hansen, Western’s associate medical director, conducted a briefing with the City Council on September 14 regarding our COVID-19 planning, medical protocols and answered questions from the Council.

• Our skilled videographers led by Suzanne Blais have responded to the continuing high demand for video at Western. Their work included: COVID-19 information/prevention videos; recreating the campus virtual tour into a tour with 360-degree photos of all the buildings and key interest points across campus; creating a virtual New Student Orientation; working on the many elements of Student Convocation, and student recruitment campaigns. Here is an example, working with Hunter Stuehm and AS, of one of their peer-to-peer student COVID health videos on wearing face coverings: https://vimeo.com/457044538/bdbed97187.

• Continued to provide communications support for Western’s Incident Command

Structure (ICS), Student Health Center, Admissions, University Residences, and other campus offices for messaging, response to parent, student and community inquiries, media response and other communications requests. This included working closely with colleagues in WebTech to transfer guidance and protocols from ICS to the web via informational pages and FAQs, especially around fall procedures for testing, isolation and quarantine, and student services.

• In other areas, in media relations, we assisted with placing an op-ed column authored by

President Randhawa and Senator Christine Rolfes on Western’s successful efforts on the Peninsulas to expand student access: See:

https://www.wwu.edu/safe-start/posters

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https://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/coronavirus/article245777740.html

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https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/opinion/columnists/2020/09/20/expanded-education-kitsap-helps-mitigate-pandemics-insecurity/5829975002/

• In Publications, Editor Mary Gallagher is in the beginning stages of the next edition of Window magazine, scheduled for publication later this year. The September edition of the Family Connection newsletter was well received, with more than 41 percent of recipients opening the emails. Meanwhile, Mary is producing the President's Annual Report for publication in November and working with New Student Services/Family Outreach on a multimedia project exploring how families can support their college-age students.

• University Communications graphic designers also provided a range of support, including: digital ad campaigns by the Division of University Relations and Marketing; WWU Family Calendar for New Student Services/Family Outreach; New Student Handbook, New Family Handbook; Counseling Center website design; Freshman Interest Groups (FIGS) booklet and postcard; design and layout of Window magazine; complete redesign of the Western Gallery sculpture brochure; new templates for Woodring College; and design for a Political Science Department newsletter.

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Community Relations Notable projects and connections that enhance WWU visibility, improve community access, and increase community-to-university partnerships. Campus Support during COVID-19

During this unprecedented time, Community Relations has pivoted to serve the university where needed while remaining engaged with the community. • 50 COVID-themed posters were distributed throughout Bellingham businesses highlighting

the importance of washing hands, watching distance and wearing a mask (the three Ws). • Partnered with the City of Bellingham on an email to all landlords on COVID-19 safety

guidelines to share with tenants, many of whom are WWU students. • Created an “Experience Bellingham” Zoom Room as a part of the 2020 Student

Convocation. 40 students learned about the many stores, parks, restaurants, coffee shops and services that are open and available in our community during COVID-19. Community Relations partnered with WWU alumni who work for Tourism and Downtown Bellingham Partnership to answer student inquiries.

• Coordinated with the Puget and South Hill neighborhoods to schedule presentations by Dr. David Hansen and Dr. Sislena Ledbetter about WWU’s health and safety guidelines as the University prepared for the start of fall quarter.

• Partnered with Lettered Streets, York, Happy Valley and Puget neighborhoods on sharing Western’s health and safety guidelines through neighborhood newsletters and email listservs.

Community Connections and Engagement

• Collaborated with Whatcom County Tourism to distribute more than 5,000 WWU campus

maps/brochures to 30 Whatcom County hotel and tourism locations. This is the first time in more than a decade that WWU has provided area hotels with brochures for its visitors.

• Connected multiple entities with WWU students and programs including:

o The Department of Commerce with CBE Professor Hart Hodges to sit on a statewide roundtable to discuss the impacts of COVID on higher education.

o L.K. Langley, director of LGBTQ+ Western, with the CEO of Woods Coffee to discuss reported incidents of bias.

o New Student Services/Family Outreach with Tourism to highlight all local restaurants providing dine in and take out options during Fall Family Weekend.

o Western’s Outdoor Center with local gear shops, a countywide outdoor recreation committee, and Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism to promote their services to the community while improving access to a broader library of maps to provide students.

o A WWU student with the Whatcom Women’s Network to assist in their efforts while helping expand her professional network.

o A WWU student with Share, a nonprofit in Vancouver, WA where he will start an internship while earning his WWU degree remotely from home.

o The League of Women Voters of Bellingham and Whatcom County with the Associated Students’ Vice President for Governmental Affairs to collaborate on both entity’s get out the vote campaigns.

• Partnered with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership to invite downtown businesses to participate in the Virtual A.S. Info Fair.

• Secured four donated prizes for WWU Viking Night from the Lynden Inn, Lopez Islander Resort, and the NW Washington Fair.

• Concluded WWU’s months-long partnership and outreach efforts with the U.S. Census which included emails, social media, collaboration with on-campus housing, partnerships with area schools, website, a podcast and more. Washington State currently ranks #2 in U.S. Census response rates and Whatcom County surpassed its own 2010 participation rates.

• including expansion of cross-cultural competencies of students and faculty through learning experiences on both campuses.

• Progress has been made by Enrollment and Student Services on a project collecting student data needed for verification of tribal enrollment, per the request of the 2016 Native American Student Union letter of urgent needs. The project will begin in Fall 2021 and collect the required data to verify Native student enrollment information.

• The Tribal Liaison is building partnerships on the Peninsulas working with Olympic

College, Huxley College on the Peninsula, and Grays Harbor College. This collaboration will focus on recruiting junior and senior high school students, providing educational opportunities in advising, support, and community connections.

Small Business Development Center (SBDC)

Pandemic Support Pandemic support continues to occupy the frontline of the SBDC activities. We have adapted

and pivoted our services to respond to the needs of our clients.

Pandemic Pivot – Responding to Emerging Needs • Connect with partners - participate in developing a county-wide response strategy

• Revise core service model - phone / Zoom / email / webinar model

• Develop information dissemination - webinars, social media, newsletters and

Coronavirus Resource Community webpage

• Add service capacity - via SBA CARES Act funding

• Immersive professional development - build skills in innovation, presentation, SBA/Treasury products (EIDL/PPP), Return to Work guidelines

WWU SBDC Bellingham Highlights

• Presented Pandemic Response Report to local funders: Port of Bellingham, City of Bellingham and Whatcom County

• Attended Small City Mayor Meeting

• Safer Stronger Together Campaign / Employer Task Force

• Attended Ferndale Chamber Economic Recovery Forum

Coronavirus Crisis Training Events Hosted since July 2020 Date Event Title Attendees 7/21/2020 Whatcom ReStart Grant Application Q&A 28 7/7/2020 Recovery Q&A and Roundtable 20 Total 48

In the Media Helping businesses weather the storm WWU SBDC Kitsap Count Highlights Co-sponsored Webinars

• Special guest for Kitsap Regional Library’s Lunch with a Librarian event • Guest panelist on weekly webinars with Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) • Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce guest speaker

In the Media Navigating unchartered waters for small businesses

https://window.wwu.edu/article/118159

https://www.kitsapsun.com/story/money/columnists/business-journal/2020/08/24/navigating-uncharted-waters-small-businesses/5626053002/?fbclid=IwAR3ceptseiljLj6nZTAZwo4y9mIocqpn3KQiIIz2GRcLa9vjeqvxDO7DH38

Tribal Liaison Planning

• The Tribal Liaison and President Randhawa met with Representative Debra Lekanoff to discuss continued support of the longhouse project for Western’s main campus.

• A $5 million request for Coast Salish Longhouse funding was developed for the 2021-23 biennium with support from Becca Kenna-Schenk, executive director of Government Relations; Rick Benner, director of Capital Planning and Development; and Brian Ross, Assistant Director of Capital Budgeting. The “House of Healing” is intended to serve as a learning center for Western’s Indigenous students, faculty and staff and neighboring communities, as well as a place of support for all people of color.

• The Tribal Liaison, with support from Government Relations, is working on a video to accompany legislative lobbying efforts for the Coast Salish Longhouse project. The video will include interviews with tribal leaders, Native American students, and the Bellingham Mayor.

Events

• The Tribal Liaison will attend the Fairhaven College World Issues Forum on Sept 30, 2020. This event will include Dr. Dakotah Lane of the Lummi Health Center hosting a panel and forum discussing their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Training

• The Tribal Liaison continues to participate in New Employee Orientation sessions to share the goals and objectives of the Tribal Relations Office in its support of diversity, equity, and inclusion goals included in the WWU strategic plan.

• The Tribal Liaison continues to visit with departments upon request and participated in

New Student Convocation and New Faculty Orientation presenting on the development of the office and how it supports Western’s Native American students.

• The Woodring College of Education Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion invited the Tribal Liaison to present new student employees and mentors for the Pathways program with resources available to Native American students.

Relationship-building

• The Tribal Liaison continues to meet with the Tribal Leaders Congress monthly via virtual meetings and serve on the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indian Education committee.

• A final MOU between Northwest Indian College and Western has been completed that

encourages cooperation between the two institutions in any discipline which is studied in both in order to promote teaching, research and understanding in areas deemed to promote the sustainability of our shared region. Among the areas of exchange are academic and administrative staff, research staff, visiting scholars and studen

Washington Campus Contact

• Washington Campus Compact received a new grant for $318,000. The College Support Services Corps will place full time AmeriCorps members on campuses to support wrap around services (food security, mental health, academic support, civic engagement) for underrepresented higher education students. In addition, there will be part time AmeriCorps positions available for college/university students to participate and earn an education award for their service activities.

As part of a pilot project, students from Huxley College and Northwest Indian College will have the opportunity to serve in the Civilian Conservation Corps on Orcas Island. This project will integrate Western and Indigenous science to teach students forest restoration, biomass processing, native landscapes for pollinator health and drought resistance, and riparian zone replanting and restoration.

A second pilot project will also be incorporated into this grant program. Partnerships between higher education institutions, high schools and cities will be developed to create civic apprenticeships for student to participate in civic leadership activities in their local communities.

• Washington Campus Compact will hold a virtual Fall Service Symposium for student civic

fellows from across Washington state on November 14, 2020. Over 100 student civic fellows will gather and learn about critical issues facing campuses and communities and develop service projects to work on those issues. Becca Kenna-Schenk, Western’s executive director of government relations, will participate on a panel to teach the student civic fellows how to work with legislators to encourage policy changes that support campus and community issues. In the spring, these students will present their projects at the Spring Service Symposium.

Web Communication Technologies

Summary As the university clarified the plan for the fall quarter, WebTech updated and transformed content provided into accessible and functional web pages. The culmination of the planning was the deployment of the COVID-19 Symptom Attestation banner across 270+ websites at the institution to make it as easy as possible to properly attest before arriving on campus each day. We provided accessibility testing for Enterprise Application Services who built the employee and visitor attestation forms. The attestation work overlapped with the development of the web pages for the new Structural Equity Bias Response Team (SEBRT) and the Report Bias link in the header of all modern sites and new sites moving forward. We also collaborated with the SEBRT team on providing feedback on the bias reporting form on both user experience and digital accessibility concerns. The form appears in the Quick Links navigation of every page on the WWU website. As commencement is now a virtual experience, we have been asked to continue working with the Registrar to provide a digital graduation ceremony in-house without vendor support. The first phase of that has been completed where eligible graduating students can register on the commencement website with the appropriate details needed for the future ceremony. Work will continue throughout the coming months to provide a commencement that is produced and hosted from Western. Building upon what worked in the Spring from the third-party vendor and improving what didn’t work is the task moving forward. Finally, perhaps the most visible event from this past period was New Student Convocation. WebTech worked with the convocation team in developing a webpage, schedule of events, and the layout of the Zoom rooms that followed the video portion of convocation. The event went very well from a technical perspective and data gathered from the traffic on the site is being used to make the web infrastructure more resilient moving forward in anticipation of an even greater traffic load during December commencement at the end of the term. Beyond that work, WebTech continues to bring departments and offices into the updated brand by migrating or assisting with the migration into the newer version of Drupal. Over the past month and a half, the websites for the following have been migrated:

• Woodring College of Education • Environmental Health & Safety • New Faculty Orientation • Counseling Center • Prevention and Wellness Services which also included migrating Men’s Resiliency, a

separate website, into the new PWS website • First Year Interest Groups – This registration site, after being inherited from another campus

group, is being modernized behind the scenes and the design is slated to be upgraded prior to FIGs registration next year.

WebTech held a department annual retreat on August 10th. We spent half the day working on team dynamics and diversity, equity, and inclusion training led by Dennis Dashiell from Human Resources. We identified areas of growth and look to tie that in with our digital accessibility work as well as the diversity, equity, and inclusion training at the division level. The official digital accessibility committee began meeting in August led by WebTech Director Max Bronsema, and John Farquha, director of Academic Technology & User Services (ATUS). The committee is working to provide procedures and guidelines to help support Policy U1600.07

https://www.wwu.edu/attest

https://www.wwu.edu/sebrt

https://www.wwu.edu/sebrt

https://wce.wwu.edu/

https://ehs.wwu.edu/

https://newfaculty.wwu.edu/

https://counseling.wwu.edu/

https://pws.wwu.edu/

https://figsreg.wwu.edu/

Ensuring Accessible Electronic Information Technology. Upon final feedback from the federal Office of Civil Rights, that policy will be updated, and the procedures and guidelines being developed will support that updated policy. WebTech Workload

Formal tickets are staying steady. We continue to resolve approximately 150 tickets every 55 days. As noted last month, the informal contact through the Teams platform I believe allows resolution of minor issues quickly without the need to file the work as a ticket. Web Help, our email support channel, saw a doubling of average traffic to 300 support requests in the last 54 days. Those messages all receive individual responses and fixes to the reported issue.


TO: Members of the Board of Trustees FROM: John M. Meyer, Chair, Board Committee on Trustees DATE: October 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Board Trustees Remarks PURPOSE: Information Item Purpose of Submittal: Chair Meyer will provide time to members of the Board of Trustees and the University President for any final remarks, questions, or observations.

16. EXECUTIVE SESSION

Executive Session may be held to discuss personnel, real estate, and legal issues as authorized in RCW 42.30.110.

17. DATE FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING

• December 10 & 11, 2020

18. ADJOURNMENT

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